The Twilight Saga: The Official Guide
by Stephy-Monkey
Summary: This story is for those who don't have the Official Guide, haven't read the Twilight Saga books or, don't feel like reading theirs. No copyright intended.
1. Introduction & A Note from the Publisher

**This story is for those who don't have the Twilight Saga Ultimate Guide, don't feel like reading thiers or haven't read the Twilight Saga.**

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**Author's Note: All characters, plotlines, and everything in between are created and owned by Stephenie Meyer. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement intended.**

**Chapter 1: Introduction & A Note from the Publisher**

**INTRODUCTION**

_Dear Reader,_

_Working on this guide has given me a chance to reflect on how much this story has changed my life. One of the best ways things have changed is the opportunity I've had to get to know so many of my readers. I'm always impressed by the funny, caring, interesting people you are. I truly feel that with your enthusiasm and dedication you've brought as much to this series as I have. Little, Brown and I have been working hard to make this guide something special for you, and I hope that we've succeeded. I would never presume to expect that _all_ the questions have been answered, but (fingers crossed) I think we got the big ones, plus many that no one's ever asked me before. Enjoy!_

_Much love,_

_Steph_

**A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER**

Since the initial publication of _Twilight_ in 2005, readers have asked thousands of questions about the Twilight Saga universe–everything from "Where do Stephenie Meyer's ideas come from?" to "How does vampire venom work?"

This guide expands upon the world of the Twilight Saga, adding histories for its characters and providing other details that might not have made it into the books themselves but are a key part of the people and stories that make up the Saga. You'll find outtakes from the books–such as the story of how Emmett was mauled by a bear–as well as never-before-seen background notes on main plots and subplots. We hope that these added details shed light on such favorite characters as the Cullens and Quileutes; on such new characters as Nahuel and Garrett; and even on the human residents of Forks, most of whom are unaware of the supernatural creatures all around them.

Also included in this guide are artistic interpretations of the series: everything from new art created just for this book to a gallery of art conceived by talented fans to the many covers that have appeared on many different editions of the books around the world.

Because music is such an instrumental part of Stephenie's writing process, this guide also includes the official playlist for each book in the Twilight Saga, alongside quotes from the books that reveals what each song represents. Also featured is an extended conversation be tween Stephenie and Shannon Hale, award-winning author of The Books of Bayern and the Newberry Honor winner _Princess Academy_, during which they discuss how the Twilight Saga began and some of the challenges and surprises Stephenie encountered along the way.

Thank you for being a part of the world of the Twilight Saga – it wouldn't be the same without you.


	2. A Conversation with Shannon Hale

**I know...it's been soooo long. So sorry for the wait, but school just started back up 3 weeks ago, I have other stories I have to upload as well and this chapter was 65 pages in the actual book.**

**Please enjoy :) Follow me on Twitter Magic_Pony14 (it's not letting me put the at symbol)**

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**Author's Note: All characters, plotlines, and everything in between are created and owned by Stephenie Meyer. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement intended.**

**Chapter 2: A Conversation with Shannon Hale**

_When Megan, my publisher, came to me with the idea of doing an interview for the guide, I started to come up with a list of reasons why I couldn't in my head. Interviews always make me uncomfortable, and really, what question haven't I answered at this point? But then she went on, presenting her inspiration of having the interview conducted by another author, and I was intrigued in spite of myself. I love hanging out with other authors, and I don't get a chance to do it very often. So I oh-so-casually suggested my "baffy" (Best-Author-Friends-Forever), Shannon Hale. And the upshot was, I got to hang out with Shannon for a whole weekend and it was awesome. We did find time to do our "interview," which was without a doubt the easiest and most entertaining interview I've done. This interview took place August 29, 2008, which affects some of the directions that our conversation went, but I was surprised when reading through it again at how relevant it still is._

ON HOW IT ALL BEGAN

**SH: So, let's look at the four different books first. _Twilight_ – it started with a dream?**

SM: Right. Should I tell the story – and get it on record?

**SH: Do you want to?**

SM: I'd like to. This story away sounds really fake to me. And when my publicist told me I needed to tell it – because it was a good story for publicity reasons – I felt like a lot of people were going to say: "You know, that's ridiculous. She's making up this silly thing to try and get attention." But it's nothing but the cold hard facts of how I got started as a writer.

Usually, I wake up around four o'clock in the morning. I think it's the baby thing – left over from knowing that somebody needs you – and then I go back to sleep. That's when I would have the most vivid dreams – those morning hours. And those are the ones you remember when you wake up.

So the dream was me looking down on this scene: It was in this meadow, and there was so much light. The dream was very, very colorful. I don't know if that always comes through in the writing – that this prism effect was just so brilliant.

**SH: The sunlight on Edward's skin?**

SM: Yeah. There was this beautiful image, this boy, just glittering with light and talking to this normal girl. And the dream really was about him. She was also listening, as I was, and he was the one telling the story. It was mostly about how much he wanted to kill her – and, yet, how much he loved her.

In the dream I think I'd gotten most of the way through what's chapter 13 now. The part where he recounts how he felt in each specific previous scene was obviously put in later, because I hadn't written those earlier scenes yet. But everything else in that scene was mostly what they were actually talking about in the dream. Even the analogy about food was something that I got in my dream.

I was so intrigued when I woke up. I just sat here and thought: _So how does that end? Does he kill her? _Because it was really close. You know how, in dreams, it's not just what you hear, but you also kind of feel what's going on, and you see everything that the person in your head sees. So I knew how close it was. I mean, there was just a thin, thin line between what he was going to choose. And so I just wondered: _How would they have made that work? What would be the next step for a couple like this?_

I had recently started realizing that my memory was going, and that I could no longer remember whom I had said something to yesterday. My youngest was just passing one, and the next was two, and I had an almost-five-year-old. So my brains were like oatmeal – there was nothing left. And so I knew I was going to forget this story! That realization was something that really hurt me.

You know, when I was a kid, I always told myself stories, but I didn't write them down. I didn't have to–my memory was great then. So I could always go back and revisit the one about this, the one about that, and go over and refine it. But this one was going to get lost if I didn't do something about it. So after I got the kids' breakfast done, I only had two hours before swim lessons. And, even though I should have been doing other things, I started writing it out.

It wasn't the dream so much that day of writing that made me a writer. Because the dream was great, and it was a good story. Bit if I'd had my memory {laughs} it would have stayed just a story in my head. And I would have figured out everything that happened, and told it to myself, but that would have been it.

But writing it down and making it real, and being able to go back and reread the sentences, was just a revelation to me. It was this amazing experience: _Wow! This is what it's like to write down stories._ I was just hooked – I didn't want to quit.

I used to paint – when I was in high school, particularly. I won a few awards – I was okay with the watercolors. My mom still has some hanging up in her house. Slightly embarrassing, but they're decent. I was not a great painter. It was not something I should have pursued as a career, by any stretch of the imagination. I cold see a picture in my head, but I could not put it on the canvas the same way it was in my head. That was always a frustration. When I started writing I immediately had a breakthrough: _I can make it real if I write it, and it's exactly the way I see it in my head. _I didn't know I was able to do that. So that was really the experience that made me a writer, and made me want to continue being one.

**SH: So you started out writing out the meadow scene. Where id you go from there?**

SM: I continued to the end, chronologically – which I don't always do anymore.

**SH: So you didn't go back to the beginning…because you wanted to know what was going to happen next?**

SM: Yeah. I was just like any reader with a story – you want to find out what happened. The backstory was for later. I wasn't really that worried about it – I wanted to see where it was going to go.

So I kept writing. The last chapter just kept getting longer and longer – and then I made epilogue after epilogue. There were so many things I wanted to explore – like why this was this way, and why this was that way, and how Bella first met Alice, and what their first impressions were. So I went back and did the beginning, and found it really exciting to be able to flesh it out and give reasons for everything that happened later.

I had lettered all my chapters instead of numbering them. So I went back and did A, and I think that I had chapter 13 being E. Because I thought, maybe, five or six chapters of material would cover the beginning…and then it was twelve, so I was surprised about that. {Laughs}

**SH: You were surprised about how much had really happened beforehand?**

SM: Yeah, it just kept going on. I was thinking: _Wow, this is taking a long time. _And that's where I finally ended, which was the last sentence in chapter 12. And i knew I had crossed the continent with the railroad, and this was the golden spike that was being driven. It was al linked together. And that was the moment of shock, when I though: _It's actually long enough to be considered a book-length thing of some kind._

**SH: You really didn't even consider it like a book until then?**

SM: No. {Laughs} No, I think if I would have thought of it as a book, I never would have finished it. I think if i would have a though, halfway in, _You know, maybe I can make this into a book…maybe I could do something with this_, the pressure would have crushed me, and I would have given up. I'm really glad I didn't think of it that way. I'm glad I protected myself by just keeping it about this personal story for me alone.

**SH: And you were thinking of yourself as the reader the whole time.**

SM: Yes, yes. Well, I'm kind of shy, and I obviously had to get over that in a lot of ways. But the essential Stephenie, who is still in here, has a really hard time with letting people read things that she writes. {Laughs} And there's a lot of enjoyment, which I'm sure you've experienced, in letting somebody read what you write. But there's also the fear of it – it's a really vulnerable position to put yourself in.

**SH: I was in a creative-writing class once and the teacher asked us: If we were stranded on a desert island, what two books would we take? And one of the books I chose was a notebook – an empty notebook – so I could write stories. And there was a classmate who said: "If you were on a desert island by yourself, why would you write stories?" And I thought: _Why are you in this class?_ {SM laughs} Because if the only purpose you have for writing is for someone else to read them, then why would you do this? It didn't make sense to me. But there is something extraordinary about writing for yourself and then sharing that.**

SM: I've never thought of the desert-island story. But that would be the perfect writing conditions, as far as I'm concerned. That would be great. I wouldn't want a spiral notebook, though – I'd want a laptop. Typing is so much better. I can't read my own handwriting half the time.

**SH: So you started immediately on the computer, when you started writing this?**

SM: Yeah.

**SH: Now, how long was it from when you wrote down the dream until you finished the first draft?**

SM: I wrote down the dream on June second. I had it all marked on my calendar: the first day of my summer diet; the first day of the swim lessons. It's kind of funny to know exactly what day you started being a writer! And I finished it around my brothers wedding, which was – he just had his anniversary – I think it was the twenty-ninth of August?

**SH: So this was done in less than three months – just an outpouring of words.**

SM: Yeah.

**SH: Was the story going through your head all day long, even when you weren't writing?**

SM: Even when I was asleep – even when I was awake. I couldn't hold conversations with people. All my friends just thought hat I had dropped them, because I lived in my own world for a whole summer.

But here was this really hot, muggy, nasty summer. And when I looked back on it later, it seemed like I spent the whole summer in a cool, green place, because that's how distant my brain was from what was really going on. I wasn't there – which is sad. {Laughs}

I was physically there for my kids, and I took care of them. And I had my little ones, one on my leg and one on my lap, most of the time I was writing. Luckily, the TV was behind me {laughs} so they could lean on my shoulder, you know, watch _Blue's Clues_ while I was typing. But I don't think you can keep up with that kind of concentrated effort for more than a summer. You have to find some balance eventually.

**SH: You have to come up for air.**

SM: Yeah.

**SH: How did you? You're so busy as a mom. Every moment of the day, with three little kids, is occupied. Suddenly, you're inserting this huge other effort into it. How did you allow yourself to do that?**

SM: A lot of the time it didn't feel like it was a choice. Once I got started writing, it felt like there was so much that I had been keeping inside for so long.

**SH: Not just this story. But very active storytelling and creating, I'm sure, had been percolating in you for years.**

SM: It was a creative outlet that was the best one I've ever found. I've done other creative things: birthday cakes and really great Halloween costumes, if I do say so myself. I was always looking for ways to creatively express myself. And it was always kind of a frustrating thing – it was never enough. Being a mom, especially when kids are younger – when they get older, it's a lot easier – you have to be about them _every_ minute. And a lot of who Stephenie is was slipping away.

**SH: Yeah.**

SM: The writing brought that back in with such force that it was just an obsession I couldn't…I couldn't be away from it. And that was, I think, kind of the dam bursting, and that huge surge at first. And then I learned to manage it.

**SH: You would have to. But what a tremendous way to start!**

SM: It was. It felt really good – it felt really, really good. And I think when you find something that you can do that makes you feel that way, you just grasp on to it.

**SH: So you had never written a short story before?**

SM: I had not ever considered writing seriously. When I was in high school, I thought of some stories that might be a good book, but I didn't take it seriously, and I never said: "Gosh, I'm going to do that." I considered it momentarily – the same way I considered being a professional ballerina.

**SH: Right.**

SM: Oh, and I was going to be so good {SH laughs} in my Nutcracker. I would have been fantastic – except that, obviously, I have no rhythmic skill, or the build for a ballerina, at all. {SH laughs} So it was like one of those nonsensical things – like wanting to be a dryad.

And then, when I was in college, I actually wrote a couple chapters of something…because I think it's the law: When you're an English major, you have to consider being an author as a career. But it was a ridiculous thing. I mean, there's no way you can make a living as a writer – everybody knows that. And, really, it's too hard to become an editor – that's just not a practical solution. If you're going to support yourself, you have to think realistically. You know, I was going to go to law school. I knew I could do that. I knew that if I worked hard, I'd be kid of guaranteed that I could at least get a decent job somewhere that would pay the bills.

There's no guarantee like that with writing, or anything in the publishing industry. You're not guaranteed that you will be able to feed yourself if you go down that path, and so I would have never considered it. I was – I still am – a very practical person.

**SH: So you really had to go into it from the side…by fooling yourself that you're not actually writing a book.**

SM: I think there was this subconscious thing going on that was protecting me from thinking of the story in a way that would keep me from being able to finish it.

**SH: Right. But, of course, you were a reader. You've been an avid reader for your whole life.**

SM: That was always my favorite thing, until I found writing. My kids and my husband used to tease me, because my hand would kind of naturally form this sort of bookholder {SH laughs}, this claw for holding books. Because I had the baby in one arm and the book in the other – with the bottle tucked under my chin and the phone on my shoulder. {Laughs} You know, the Octopus Mom. But I always had a book.

I always needed that extra fantasy world. I had to have another world I could be in at the same time. And so, with writing, I just found another way to have another world, and then to be able to be a lot more part of it than as a reader.

**SH: I think it's part of multitasking. I wonder if most writers – I know moms have to be this way, but most writers, too – have to have two things going on at once just to stay entertained.**

SM: Exactly. {Laughs}

**SH: It's not that I'm unsatisfied, because I love my life. I'm a mom, too, of small kids – and I love my husband – but I also need something else beyond that. I need another story to take me away.**

SM: You know, it's funny. As I've become a writer, I started looking at other writers and how they do things, and everybody's very different. I read _Atonement_ recently, and I was interested in the way Ian McEwan writes about being a writer through the character's standpoint…She's always seeing another story. She's doing one thing – but, then, in her head, it becomes something else, and it turns into another story.

It's kind of like what you were saying about writers needing that extra reality to escape to. I think that writers maybe do have just that need for more than one reality. {Laughs}

**SH: You know, we're not really sure if it's insanity or it's a superpower.**

SM: But it's an insanity that doesn't hurt anybody.

**SH: Right. It's kind of friendly, cozy, fuzzy insanity.**

ON THE WRITING PROCESS

**SH: I think you must write much better first drafts than I do.**

SM: I doubt that.

**SH: Really? Are they pretty bad?**

SM: I think so. I have to go over them again and again, because I don't always flesh it out enough. I wrote it through so quickly that I have to go back and add things. I tend to use the same words a lot, and I have to consciously go back and take out things like that. And I don't always get them. My first drafts are scary.

**SH: How do you go about rewriting? With _Twilight_, did you send it off immediately, or did you go back and start revising it?**

SM: I probably read it, I don't know, fifty to a hundred times before a sent it anywhere. And I cannot read a page of anything I've written without making five changes – that's my average. So even now that Twilight is "finished" – quote-unquote – oh, I'd love to revise it. I could do such a better job now. And I have a hard time rereading it. Because if I read it on the computer, I want to go in and change things – and it drives me crazy that I can't.

**SH: Yeah. I try not to read anything that I've already published.**

SM: If I read it in the book form, I can usually relax and kind of enjoy it. I like to experience the stories again, because I see it like I did the first time I saw it. But sometimes it's hard not to be like, "Oh, I hate that now. Why did I d it that way?" {Laughs}

**SH: That would be writers' hell: You're continually faced with a manuscript that you wrote years ago and not allowed to change it.**

SM: {Laughs} Well, then, that's every writer's reality, right? {Laughs}

**SH: I don't know if you feel this way, but once a book is written and out of my hands and out there, I no longer feel like I wrote it. I don't feel like I can ever claim the story anymore. I feel like now it belongs out there, with the readers.**

SM: I feel that way about the hardbound copy on the shelf. There is a disassociation there. If I look at it on a shelf, and it seems very distant and cold and important, I don't feel like it's something that belongs to me. When I read it, it does.

**SH: I guess I haven't reread my books. I listen to the audiobooks, actually – one time for each book – and I have enjoyed that. The people who did my audiobooks are a full cast, so it's like this play, almost.**

SM: Oh, that's so cool.

**SH: They say things differently than I would have, but instead of being wigged out by it, I actually like it. Because it's as though I'm hearing a new story, and I'm hearing it for the first time.**

SM: See, I can't ignore my mistakes as much when I hear it on audio. I have tried to listen to my books on audio, and I cannot do it. Because I hear the awkwardness in a phrase when it's spoken aloud, and I just think: _Oh Gosh! I shouldn't have phrased it that way._ And there'll be other things where I hear the mistakes a lot louder than when I read through it and kind of skip over than with my eyes.

**SH: Now, by the time you finished _Twilight_, you thought, _This is a book _– and then you started to revise. Did you revise just to, like yo said, relive the story? Or did you have a purpose?**

SM: Well, while I was writing I would revise while I was going. I'd start to go back and read what I'd written up to that point before I started. And some days I'd spend that whole day just making changes and adding things to what I'd written. That was one of my favorite parts – reading it. That surprised me, you know…But then it's the book that's perfect for you, because you wrote it for yourself, and so it's everything what you want it to be.

And when I put the "golden spike" into it, I looked at it and felt…kind of shocked that I'd finished it. And then I thought maybe there was a reason I'd done all this, that I was supposed to go forward with this. Maybe there were some greater purpose, and I was supposed to do something with it. Because it was such an odd thing for me, to write a book over the summer; it was so odd for me to feel so compelled about it.

The one person who knew what I was doing was my big sister Emily. But my sister's so: _Everything's wonderful! Everything's perfect! You shouldn't change a single word!_ {SH laughs} She's so supportive; I knew that it was not a big risk to let her see it. So it was the combination of thinking, _I finished this!_ and Emily saying, "Well, you have to try and publish it. You have to do it." I don't know how many times we talked when she'd say, "Stephenie, have you sent anything out yet?"

So then I revised with a purpose. And I revised with a sense of total embarrassment: _Oh my gosh. If anyone ever sees this I'll be so humiliated. I can't do it._ And then Emily would call again, and again I'd feel this sense like: _Maybe I'm supposed to._ Then I stated doing all the research, you know…like looking for an agent. I didn't know that writers had agents. I thought only athletes and movie stars did that.

So that was intimidating and off-putting: _I need an agent? This sounds complicated._ Then I had to find out how to write literary queries. And summing up my story in ten sentenced was the most painful thing for me.

**SH: Horrible.**

SM: It does not work well. {Laughs} And it was also pretty painful having to put out this letter that says: "Hi, this is who I am; this is what I've written' this is what it's about. I have absolutely no experience, or any reason why I think that you should actually pick this up, because who am I? Thank you very much, Stephenie Meyer." {Laughs} That was hard.

And sending them out – I don't want to remember that often. Because you know how you kind of blank out things that are unpleasant – like childbirth and stuff? It was such a hard thing to do. Back in the neighborhood where I lived at the time, you couldn't put mail in your mailbox – kids stole it – so you had to drive out and go put it in a real mailbox. And to this day I can't even go by that corner without reliving that nauseating terror that was in my stomach when I mailed those queries.

**SH: Wow.**

SM: See. I didn't take creative writing classes like you. I didn't take the classes because I knew someone was going to read what I would write. I didn't worry about the writing part – it was letting someone else read it. My whole life that was a huge terror of mine: having someone know what goes on inside my head.

**SH: So how have you? Because, obviously, millions of people now have read what you wrote. Is it still terrifying for you, every time you put a book out?**

SM: Yeah…and with good reason. Because the world has changed – and the way books are received is different now. People are very vocal. And I do not have a lot of calluses on my creative soul – every blow feels like the first one. I have not learned how to take that lightly or let it roll off me. I know it's something I need to learn before I go mad – but it's not something that I've perfected. And it's so hard, even when you know it's coming. You don't know where it's coming from – a lot of them are sucker punches.

With every book, I always see the part that I think people are going to get mad about, or the part that's going to get mocked. With _Twilight_, I thought: _Oh gosh. People are just going to rip me apart for this – if anybody picks it up. which they're not going to, because they're going to read the back and say: A book about vampires? Oh, come on – it's been so done._ So I knew it was coming.

But there were always some things I wasn't expecting that people wouldn't like. I mean, with everything you put out, you just have to know: There are going to be people who really like it, and that's going to feel really good. But there are going to be people who really dislike things that are very personal to me, and I'm just going to have to take it.

**SH: But it's so terrifying. I don't know how you even have the courage to do it every time. The book of mine that I thought was going to be my simplest, happiest book, just a sweet little fun book that people would enjoy – that was the one that got slammed the hardest. Like you said, it was things I never could have anticipated that people didn't like.**

**As I look back on it, I think if had a chance, I would take those parts out, or change those things that people hated. But I didn't know at the time. And so now, as I'm writing another book – I know there are things that people are going to hate. But I don't know what they are {SM laughs} If I only knew what they were, I would be sorely tempted to change them to try and please everyone! I do the very best I can, but you can never anticipate what it is that people are going to react to.**

SM: See, I have a very different reaction to that, because I _can't_ change it – it is the way it is. I mean, there are things I can do in editing – and I can polish the writing. I know I can always do better with that. And I know that, even in the final form, if I could have another three months to work on it, I would never stop polishing, because I can always make every word more important.

But I just can't change what happens, because that's the way it is. That's the story: Who the people are dedicates what happens to them. I mean, there are outside forces that can come in, but how the characters respond to them eventually determines where they're going to be. Once you know who they are, there's not way to change what their future is – it just is what it is.

And so my reaction when the criticism is really bad and really hard, is: _I wish I could have kept this in my computer. I should have just held on to this work and have it be mine alone._ Because sometimes I wonder_: Is it worth it to share it?_ But then you feel like you're not doing your characters a service with that – they deserve to live more fully, in someone else's mind.

Yes, I know I sound crazy! {Laughs}

**SH: No. I totally, totally understand that. I remember hearing writers talk about how their characters are almost alive, and almost have a will of their own. And I thought they were kinda full of crap {SM laughs} but there is something to it. I think it's a balance, though. There's the idea of these characters that are alive in my mind, and then there's me, the author. And I have some power to control the story, and to try and make it a strong story – but, then, the characters also have some power to say no.**

SM: Yeah.

**SH: For me, writing is finding a balance between that sort of transcendental story and my own power of writing – not letting myself overwrite them too much, and not letting them overrun me.**

SM: Yeah. See, I find that difficult – because, to me, you create a character, and you define them, and you make them who they are. And you get them into a shape where they are final. Their story isn't, but they are who they are – and the do feel very real. You can't change who they are to make the story go easier.

So sometimes things happen in the story because my character, being who he is, can't do anything different. I've written him so tightly into who he is that I cannot change his course of action now, without feeling like: _Well, that's not in character – that's not what he would do. There's only one course now._ And sometimes it's hard, when the course goes a way that's difficult to write.

ON CHARACTERS COMING TO LIFE

**SH: So how much did you know about Jacob and his future when you were writing _Twilight_?**

SM: Jacob was an afterthought. He wasn't supposed to exist in the ordinary story. When I wrote the second half of _Twilight_ first, there was no Jacob character. He started to exist about the point where I kind of hit a bit of a wall: I could not make Edward say the words _I'm a vampire_. There was no way that was ever coming out of his mouth – he couldn't do it. And that goes back to what we were talking about with characters. You know, he had been keeping the truth about himself secret for so long, and it was something he was so…unhappy about, and devastated about. He would never have been able to tell her.

And so I thought: _How is Bella ever going to figure this out?_ But I had picked Forks already as the story's location, and so then I thought: _You know, these people have been around for a while, and they've been in this area before. Have they left tracks – footprints – somewhere, that she can discover an older story to give her insight?_

That's when I discovered that there was a little reservation of Quileute Indians on the coastline. I was interested in them before I even knew I was going to work them into the story. I thought: _Oh, that's interesting. There's a real dense and different kind of history there. _I've always kind of been fascinated with Native American history, and this was a story I'd never heard before.

This is a very small tribe, and it's really not very well known, and their language is different from anyone else's. and they have these great legends – even one that's similar to the Noah's Ark story; the Quileutes tied their canoes to the tops of the tallest trees so they weren't swept away by the big flood – that I thought were really interesting.

And they have the wolf legend. They story goes that they descended from wolves – a magician changed the first Quileute from a wolf into a man, that's how they began – and when I was reading the legend I thought: _You know, that's kind of funny._ Because I know werewolf people and vampires don't get along at all. And how funny is it that there's that story, right here net to where I set my vampire story.

**SH: That's so cool, that kind of serendipity that happens in storytelling.**

SM: It felt like, Now it's on! Now I know how it has to be! What kismet to happen. And so Jacob was born – as a device, really – to tell Bella what she needed to know. and, yet, as soon as I gave him life, I just found him so endearing. He took on this personality that was just so funny and easy. And you love the characters you don't have to work for.

And Jacob was not an ounce of work. He just came to life and was exactly what I needed him to be, and I just enjoyed him as a person. But his appearance in chapter 6 was really it – that was all he was in the story. And then my agent loved this Jacob, and she's never gotten over that. She was one hundred percent Team Jacob all the time.

**SH: {Laughs} And, you know, I am, too. I love Jacob.**

SM: Oh, I love Jacob, too. So when my agent said: "I want some more of him," I thought: _You know, I would love to do that. But I don't want to mess with this too much._ I wanted to have my editor's input before I started making any major changes. And my editor felt the same way: "You know, I like this. Are you going somewhere with this wolf story?"

So when I started the sequel, I knew there were going to be werewolves in it. Because it just seemed like all these stories that are pure fantasy, that are myths, are coming true for Bella. And then there's Jacob. Here's this world that he just thinks is a silly superstition. Then I thought: _What if all of it were real? What if everything that he just takes for granted is absolutely, one hundred percent based in fact?_ What a world it would be if we knew that all these little legends around us are absolutely real! I can't even imagine being able to wrap my mind around that.

And so I knew that the sequel I had already started on would be about finding out that they were werewolves. And it wasn't _New Moon_ – it was much closer to _Breaking Dawn_. Because the story had originally skipped beyond high school fairly quickly. But my editor said: "Well, I'd like to keep the story in high school, because we are marketing the first book this way. And I just feel like there's so much that must have happened that we miss if we just skip to Bella being a grown-up." And I said: "Well, you know, i could always make my characters talk more – that's not a problem. Let's go back and have this kind of stuff happen earlier." So I had a chance to develop it.

By the time I got to Breaking Dawn the characters were so fleshed out – and their allegiances were so strong to whatever they hated or loved – that it made the story just a whole lot richer when I came to it the second time, because there was so much more backstory to it.

**SH: I have to go back to the point that Jacob exists because Edward couldn't say, "I am a vampire." So Edward is what created the necessity for Jacob. Just as Edward's existence, and nearness as a vampire, made Jacob into a werewolf. I just think it's interesting that those two characters, who are sometimes friends ad sometimes…**

SM: Not.

**SH: …enemies, can't seem to live without each other. They completely are born from each other.**

SM: Jacob was born from Edward…also because of – I guess you have to say it was a flaw – Edward's inability to be honest about this essential fact of himself. Although it was an understandable flaw – it was something that he was supposed to keep secret. You know, it wasn't something that you just say in everyday passing conversation: By the way {laughs}, I'm a vampire." It's just not a normal thing.

Jacob's character also became an answer to the deficiencies in Edward – because Edward's not perfect. There were things about him that didn't make him the most perfect boyfriend in the whole world. I mean, some things about him make him an amazing boyfriend, but other things were lacking – and Jacob sort of was the alternative. Here you have Edward, someone who overthinks everything – whose every emotion is overwrought – and just tortures himself. And there's so much angst, because he has never come to terms with what he is.

Then here you have Jacob, someone who never gives anything a passing thought and is just happy-go-lucky: If something's wrong, well, okay – let's just get over it and move on. Here's someone who's able to take things in stride a little bit more, who doesn't overthink everything. Someone who's a little rash. He does seem foolish sometimes, just because he doesn't pause to think before he leaps, you know?

This was sort of the opposite of Edward's character in a lot of ways. It gave a balance to the story and a choice for Bella, because I think she needed that. There was an option for her to choose a different life, with someone that she could have loved – or someone who she does love. I always felt like that was really necessary to the story. Because when I write, I try to make the characters react to things the way I think real people would.

I think that, in reality, it's never one boy – there's never this moment when you know. There's a choice there, and sometimes it's hard. Romance and relationships are a tangle, and this messy thing – you never know what to expect, and people are so surprising.

**SH: So for you, was the storyline inevitable? Or were there points when you were writing where you thought the characters might have made one choice or another?**

SM: It's a funny thing – because it was inevitable. From the time I started the first sequel, I always knew what was going to happen. With _Twilight_ I had no idea what was going to happen – it just sort of happened. But after I knew where it was going, I knew Edward and Bella were going out together. As you start to writ stories you get twist-offs of things – there are four or five different ways it could have gone, and none of them were the right way. I knew what the real way was.

But I do know what would have happened if Edward hadn't come back. You know, I know that whole story – how it went down, and what their future was. I know what would have happened if this character had changed – when he did one little thing here, or that. There are always a million different stories – you just know which one it is that you're going to write. But that doesn't make the others not exist.

**SH: And I think that comes through in the writing – that you are aware of these alternate realities. I think the reader becomes aware of these other realities, too. And that's nice, because then it's not predictable. You don't know exactly what's going to happen, because you can see there are other ways it can go.**

SM: I think that's why the alternative stories develop – because you have to make it suspenseful; there ha to be conflict – and there has to be, hopefully, some mystery about where it's going to go. If it's so clear that something specific is _obviously_ going to happen, well, nobody wants to read that. So where's the suspense going to come from? It comes when you start to realize: Well, this other thing could have happened. Even though _you_ know where you're going with it.

**SH: I love that.**

SM: It's all very circular. Something happens within something else, but the thing that happened is somehow the birthplace of the other one, too. It's very confusing {laughs} in the head of a writer. At least, for me.

**SH: But it is like life, in that I think we are all aware of how if we'd made a different decision, we would be living in a different reality. And you can think about the other ones, but you live the one that you're in. the story has to live in the reality it's in.**

SM: I think my fascination with that very concept kind of comes through in Alice's visions of the future, where there are fourteen million of them. As characters make choices, they're narrowing down which visions can actually happen. Alice sees flashes of the future possibilities coming from the choices they've made. But if thy make different choices, it becomes a whole new future. And that's what happens to us every day. You choose to go to Target today {laughs} and you don't know how that's going to impact everything in your future, because of that one decision. I'd always been fascinated with that concept, and I enjoy science fiction that sort of deals with those strands.

**SH: So, if you knew – that morning after you woke up after having the dream of Edward and Bella in the meadow – if you knew the reality that would happen after you sat down and wrote it, would you still write it?**

SM: You know…I wonder if I could have. The pressure would have been so immense. If I'd been faced with knowing: If you sit down and write today, eventually you're going to have to speak in public, in front of thousands of screaming people; you're going to have to travel around the world and live on Dramamine and Unisom; and you're going to have to be away from your family sometimes; and you'll be more successful than you ever could possibly have dreamed, but there's going to be more stress than you could have ever thought you were able to handle – I don't know what my decision would have been.

Probably, because I'm a coward, I would have jumped back under the covers and said: {high, squeaky voice} "I'm not ready!" {Laughs}

**SH: I guess that's why it's good that we don't know what's going to happen in advance. I mean, if Bella had known everything that was going to happen…**

SM: See, Bella would have gone through it exactly the same way. I know what my characters would do. They're very, very real to me. I know what they would say if I had a conversation with them. I know if I had said this, Jacob would respond like this. And even if he knew exactly how it was going to end, all of his efforts were going to be for naught, he would not change one tiny thing he did. Because he wouldn't be able to say to himself: _Well, at least I tried._ He needed to know that he did everything that he could – because that's who he is.

And Bella wouldn't change anything, either, because eventually, she was going to get what she wanted, and what she wanted her life to be. And if you're very sure about what you want from your life, if you're absolutely positive – then you can make that decision and say: "I won't make any changes, because this is what I want."

I never had that kind of absolute certainty and focus in regular everyday things when I was a teenager – I was never really sure where I wanted to be in ten years, but Bella knows. And so she walks through it the way a person walks across hot coals – because they know what they want on the other side. {Laughs}

ON THE REWARDS OF WRITING

**SH: What's the most important thing for you to get out of the writing? Why do you do it?**

SM: Originally, I wrote because I was compelled. I mean, it wasn't even like a choice. Once I started, it was just…I had to do it. It was similar to the way, when you start a book that's really good or extremely suspenseful, you can't opt it down. At the dinner table, you have it under your leg – and you're peaking down there, so your husband won't catch you reading while you're eating dinner. It's like until you know what happens, you'll have no peace.

And there was a great deal of joy in that – although it wasn't a calm kind of joy. {Laughs} There was also some frenzy.

I wrote the rest of the books because I was so in love with the characters in the story that it was a happy place to be. But by then, I had to become a little bit more calculated about the writing process. I spent more time figuring out the best ways to proceed…like how outlines work for me, or is it better to write out of order, or in order? I'm still working on my ways. But it's still for the joy, when I actually sit down and write.

You know, there's a lot of other stuff you have to do as a writer – with editing and touring and answering a million e-mails a day…all of that stuff that's a grind and feels like work. But when I get away from that, and when I'm just writing again – and I have to forget everything else in the world – then it's for the joy of it again.

**SH: And, you know, because I totally agree. But you meet some writers who are not yet published – and they're so anxious and earnest and need to have that first publication come. What I want to say to them is: Don't hurry it.**

SM: Yeah.

**SH: The reason you're a writer is because you're telling stories. And everything that comes after publication has nothing to do with why you're a writer. The business stuff, like you said, and the anxiety of how the book is doing and the publicity – and, you know, dealing with negative reviews or negative fan reactions – all the stuff is not really what you're yearning for. What you're yearning for is the story. And the best thing to do is just enjoy that process and that journey.**

SM: And you miss it when it's gone. You miss being able to write in a vacuum – where it's just you and the story, and there's no one that's ever going to say anything about it. I find that I can't write unless I put myself in that vacuum.

**SH: But the characters have to almost come in on their own…**

SM: I know. You have that experience of a character talking in your head, where you don't feel like you're giving them the words. You're hearing what they're saying, and it sounds like it's the first time you're hearing it, and you're just writing it down. Unless you have that experience, you can't understand that this is actually a rational way to be. {Laughs}

**SH: I know, I know. Not that anybody who chooses to writ books for a living is actually _rational_…**

ON ENDINGS AND INEVITABILITY

**SH: I think that, with certain kinds of stories, if you preplan a happy ending, it feels so false. I have had a couple stories like that, where I decided: _This is not going to be the happy ending people are going to want, but we're just going to have to live with it._ And then a character swoops in or something happens to change the problem and take it out of my hands. I think that kind of ending can feel more real and satisfying. You can't force it, though.**

SM: No. usually, the endings become impossible to avoid, because of whatever is growing in the story. There's nothing you can do after it's set in motion – it just keeps going.

Sometimes I don't see something changing at first. It's like…say, when you change direction by one degree, and you end up on a completely different continent, even though you turned just the slightest bit. Things like that'll happen that change the course. But by the time you get to the end, there's no…there's no more leeway for change.

And so the endings, to me, are always inevitable. You get to a point where there's no other way it can go. If I tried to do something different, I think it would feel really unnatural. But I rarely try. {Laughs} It's like: Let's just let this be what it is. _This is the way the story goes._

**SH: Now, with _New Moon_, there was a way that it could have ended that was very different. And what changed the course of those events was happenstance.**

SM: It wasn't altogether happenstance – whether you're referring to the paper cut or the cliff-jump or what have you. With the characters being who they are, it's only a matter of time before Bella bleeds near Jasper, and then the outcome is inevitable. It's only a matter of time before Bella finds a way to express her need for adrenaline in a way that nearly kills her, and it's pretty good odds that Jacob will be somewhere close to Bella at the time, clouding up Alice's visions.

It gets complicated because, as the author, I see the first-person perspective from more than one person's perspective. I started writing Bella in the beginning, but there are several voices that are first-person perspective for me while I'm writing. So I know everything that's going on with those people. Sometimes it's hard for me to write from Bella's perspective only, because Bella can only know certain things. And so much of that story was first-person perspective Edward for me.

I knew it was going to be a problem if Edward took off. {Laughs} I mean, even though _Twilight_ had not come out yet, I was aware enough at this point that this not the way you write a romance. You don't take the main character away – you don't take the guy away. {SH laughs} But because of who he is, he had to leave – and because of the weakness that he has, he was going to come back. It was his strength that got him away, and it was the weakness that brought him back. It was a defeat, in a way, for him – but, at the same time, it was this triumph he wasn't expecting. Because he didn't see it going the way it does in the end.

He's such a pessimist – oh my gosh, Edward's a pessimist. And one of the fun things about _Breaking Dawn_ for me was working through that with him, till he finally becomes an optimist. That's one of the biggest changes in _Breaking Dawn_, that Edward becomes an optimist. So many things have lined up in his favor that he can no longer deny the fact that some good will happen to him in his life. {Laughs}

And so for me, _New Moon_ was all about what Edward had to do to be able to call himself a man. If he hadn't tried to save Bella by leaving, then he would not have been a good person, in his own estimation. He had to at least try.

And it was really hard to write, because I had to live all that. Oh gosh – it was depressing! I was into listening to a lot of Marjorie Fair. {Laughs} But I was able to do some things as a writer that I was proud of, that I felt were a lot better than what I'd done in _Twilight_. I was able to explore some things that felt really real to me – even though I'd never been in Bella's position. It didn't feel like sympathy; it was empathy. Like I was really there, like I was really her. And so that was an interesting experience…but it was hard. It does take up the majority of the book, and that was tricky. It's gratifying to me that, for some people – a minority – _New Moon_ is their very favorite book.

**SH: I have a book like that – _Enna Burning_ – which has been my least popular book all around. But there is a core of people for whom that is their favorite. And it is tremendously gratifying, because that was a difficult book to write for me, too. It's a dark book, and I poured so much into it. I'm really proud of that book. But to find that it spoke to someone else besides me makes me feel not quite so lonely as a writer.**

SM: As a writer I don't think you always realize how lonely it is to feel like you're in this world all by yourself. That's why you end up sharing it, because there are some people who will get it.

ON CRITICISM

SM: What surprises me is not that there are people who don't get my book – because that seems really obvious and natural – but that there are people who _do_. And I do think that, as the series went on, the story started to get more specific, and possibilities were getting cut out. As you define something, all the "might have beens" die as you decide things. And so I'm not surprised that people had problems with wrapping it up, because it became more specific to me as time went on.

Every book has its audience. Sometimes it's an audience of one person – sometimes it's an audience of twenty. And every book has someone who loves it, and some people who don't. Every one of those books in a bookstore has a reason to be there – some person that it's going to touch. But you can't expect it to get to everybody.

**SH: No.**

SM: And you can't say: "Well, there's something wrong if this book didn't mean the same thing to everyone who read it." The book _shouldn't_ make sense to some people, because we're all different. And thank goodness. How boring would it be if we all felt the same way about every book?

**SH: I really believe that, as writers, we do fifty percent of the work – and then the reader does the other fifty percent of the work – of storytelling. We're all bringing experiences and understanding to a book.**

**When you start with _Twilight_, you've got one book and one story. There's still an infinite number of possibilities of where that story could go. So if you've got, maybe, ten million fans of _Twilight_, by the time you get to _New Moon_, you're narrowing what can happen, because these characters are making choices, and so maybe you've got seven million possibilities. By the time you get to _Eclipse_, you're down to, say, three million people who are going to be happy with the story. After _Breaking Dawn_…**

SM: There are only twenty people who are going to get it. {Laughs} I think it's a weird expectation that if a story is told really well, everybody, therefore, will have to appreciate it. People bring so many of their own expectations o the table that a story can't really please everybody.

**SH: But is it still hard for you? Do you still have a desire to please everyone?**

SM: Of course. I would love to make people happy. It's a great thing to hear that your book made someone's day brighter. It's amazing to think that you're doing some good, with a thing that just brings you joy in the first place. It's not why I do it, but it's a great benefit. It's the frosting.

It's hard when people who really wanted to like it don't. That makes me sad, because I know that there was a story for them, but it's just not the one that I could write. I think that sometimes for people who are that invested, it's because they're storytellers themselves. And maybe they need to cross that line – cross over to the dark side…join us! – and start creating their own stories.

**SH: That is an impossible situation, though. Because here you've created these characters in _Twilight_, and then readers are creating their own versions of those characters. So then you go on and write another book, and what your characters did…isn't necessarily what their characters would do. Maybe from their point of view, you're manipulating their characters into doing things they wouldn't do, even though of course you're not.**

SM: It _is_ funny…I mean, it's hard because I am very thin-skinned. I don't take anything lightly. When I read a criticism, I immediately take it to heart and say: "Oh my gosh – maybe I _should_ have done that! Oh, I _do_ do this wrong!" I question myself very easily. I don't question the characters, which is why I'm able to maintain my voice when I write – because that, to me, is the one thing that's rock-solid. It doesn't matter what my doubts are – they are who they are. And that's a good thing.

**SH: It is. And despite all the criticism, there are so many more fans than there are people who are angry about the books, but you hear the negative stuff so much louder.**

SM: Oh, always loud. You know, it reminds me of the movie _Pretty Woman_. Whenever that comes on TV, for some reason I can't change the channel. {SH laughs} And there's the one part where she says: It's easier to believe the bad, you know.

**SH: Yeah.**

SM: That's one of the things that I think is a constant struggle: to make the negative voices not as loud as – or at least just equal to – the positive voices. I know a lot of people who feel the same way. It's easy to doubt yourself.

Maybe the answer is not to write a sequel. I'm considering that. You know, write one-shots – just one contained story, which I have a hard time doing. I guess I'll just have to end it by killing the characters – because then it'll be over, right? {Laughs} But if you kill off your characters – even minor characters – you still sob everything that they were and could have been.

**SH: In the book I'm writing, there is a death – a major death. And every time I do a rewrite, as I get near that scene, and I know I have to face it again, my stomach just clenches and I get sick with dread. And as I go through hat scene, I'm sobbing the entire time. It is not easy…**

SM: No. when you know in advance that you're going to put yourself through that, it gives you some pause. And then you also have to know that it's a different story than what people are expecting. That's also the trouble with sequels.

**SH: The most letters I get from fans is for one book called _Princess Academy_, and the most requests I get from fans is for a sequel to that book. And then they tell me what happens in the sequel, you know? {SM laughs} And that's how I know that I shouldn't write it.**

SM: Right.

**SH: Because they've already told their own story. And that's what I want, anyway…because I didn't tie everything up completely. I just gave them an idea of where they might go in the future.**

ON _BREAKING DAWN_

**SH: I loved _Breaking Dawn_. It's hard to pick a favorite, but it might be my favorite. It was so the book I wanted, and so what it felt like it needed to be for me. And I have to say I loved the pregnancy and birth stuff, because I love the horror. Your books are romance, but there's also this real, wonderful undercurrent or horror that's different from any kind of horror I've read. And I love what horror can do: shine a light on what is real. And you make it bigger and more grotesque – just so you can see more clearly how grotesque what really happens is.**

SM: I do think that sometimes I put horror in unusual places for horror to exist, and I take it out of places where it might have been easy to have. You know, that birth scene really was horror for me. We live in a time where having a baby is not much more dangerous than giving blood. I mean, it's horrible, but it's unlikely that you're going to die.

But that's something new for this century. You know, there was a time when childbirth was possibly the most terrifying thing you could do in your life, and you were literally looking death in the face when you went ahead with it. And so this was kind of a flashback to a time when that's what every woman went through. Not that they got ripped apart but they had no guarantees about whether they were going to live through it or not.

You know, I recently read – and I don't read nonfiction, generally – _Becoming Jane Austen_. That's the one subject that would get me to go out and read nonfiction. And the author's conclusion was that one of the reasons Jane Austen might not have married when she did have the opportunity…well, she watched her very dear nieces and friends die in childbirth! And it was like a death sentence: You get married and you will have children. You have children and you will die. {Laughs} I mean, it was a terrifying world.

And Bella's pregnancy and childbirth, to me, went a way to kind of explore that concept of what childbirth used to be. That made it very specific for readers who were interested in that, and it did take it away from some of the fans who were expecting something different. I was aware that it was taking Bella in a new direction that wasn't as relatable for a lot of people. I knew that it was going to be a problem for some readers.

**SH: Yeah.**

SM: My agent and my editor and my publisher all said: "Um, can we tone down the violence here? It's making me a little sick." {Laughs} But I was kind of proud of myself. I was thinking:_ I actually wrote something violent enough to bother anybody? I'm such a marshmallow. Wow – you go, Stephenie! _{SH laughs} And I toned it down for them, and I made it a little bit less gruesome. Although I kept some of the gruesome stuff in, too.

**SH: I know you hate spoilers. You don't want any leaks.**

SM: You know, though, I wonder with this last book…I wonder if it would have been an easier road for readers who have difficulties with _Breaking Dawn_ if they'd known more in advance. If people had asked me, "Can vampires have babies with humans?" And, instead of saying, "I can't answer questions about those crazy things that might or might not happen" – which is what I said because I didn't want to make is super-obvious it was going to happen; I mean, that just seems wrong – I could have just said, "Yeah, they can." Maybe it would have been easier for them if they'd been expecting it.

**SH: So you know, even before _Twilight_ was published, that in your world a vampire and a human would have a baby?**

SM: Oh yeah. I've got it all worked out in my head. My scientific reasoning works for me, but for people who don't buy into it, I can only agree. It's true. Vampires cannot have babies…because vampires aren't real. {Laughs} And vampires cannot have babies with humans, because humans can't actually copulate with vampires – because vampires are not real. {SH laughs} It's a _fantasy_.

**SH: Right. And yet people believe those characters, and the possibility of those vampires is real enough that they have to say: Wait – those aren't the rules.**

SM: It's flattering in a way, that this is so real to them that they feel like there are things that can't happen in this fantasy.

**SH: Now I have a nerd-girl question? Does Nessie's bite do anything? Did it do anything to Bella, when Nessie bit her?**

SM: Nessie is not venomous.

**SH: You did say in the book that Nessie wasn't venomous. I mean, it's just about food. {Laughs} Extreme nursing. {Laughs} But I guess when Bella did so well with the transition, as the new vampire, I was thinking: _I wonder if Nessie's bite did that for her._**

SM: {Laughs} I hadn't even thought of that. No, Bella's transition was unique among new vampires, in the she knew what was coming. None of the other Cullens had any warning. It was just, all of a sudden, this overwhelming need to drink blood – just without any kind of readying. You know how sometimes you have to brace yourself for something? Bella was braced – she was ready. And it wasn't like it was easier for her than it was for them. She'd just already made up her mind that that's the whole key to everything. She the only person in the entire history of the Twilight universe who chose beforehand to be a "vegetarian" vampire.

**SH: I liked that Jasper had a hard time with that. His personal struggle was that it wasn't inevitable.**

SM: You know, when you're used to giving in to instant gratification, that makes it harder not to. If you're never given in, it's easier to keep it that way.

**SH: I remember when you were writing _Breaking Dawn_, you told me that this story made you happy. What is it about this story that made you happy?**

SM: Well, it goes back to what we were talking about before, about Edward. And it's an interesting thing to me, how I worry about my characters like they're real people. Like how after I wrote _Eclipse_ – even though I knew exactly what was going to happen in _Breaking Dawn _– until I actually got to the part where Jacob sees Renesmee for the first time, and his life comes together for him, I worried about him all the time.

And Edward, the whole time, has had a lot of happiness – and, yet, he's nor trusting any of it to last. He's feeling like he's doomed, and there's no abating it – that something bad is going to happen to him because of who he is. And now I could finally watch that change and watch him come to accept happiness – even more than Bella does. Because Bella sees the end coming and sort of loses hope, but he never does.

After he accepts that he can have happiness, he just clings to it. And I really enjoyed that, and I enjoyed writing the end. I had to write all four books to get to those last two pages. Just to have Bella and Edward really be able to understand each other – that made it worth writing four books.

**SH: And he really makes the journey – even though vampires, as you've said, are frozen sort of in that moment when they first become vampires. But he changes so much in _Breaking Dawn_, and so quickly in becoming a father. What was it like to take him through that journey, as well?**

SM: You know, all that really changes is his outlook – which, of course, changed everything. But who he is, what he loves, how he does things – it all stays the same. He did get a lot of things that he hadn't even let himself think about wanting, though. I mean, getting to have this daughter that he had never envisioned – that he never could have conceived of – was this unbelievable thing for him, you know. And he accepts it pretty quickly. But the bigger wonder for him is Bella being happy. He thought he was going to ruin her life, and he made her happy. And that really was everything for him.

ON LITERARY INSPIRATIONS

**SH: So when you were writing, you'd have a literary classic that helps inspire your books. With _Breaking Dawn_ you said it was _A Midsummer Night's Dream_, and you couldn't say the second one.**

SM: _Merchant of Venice_ – which I do say in the story. You know…{SH gasps} It's the book Alice pulls a page from to leave her message for Bella.

**SH: I wondered about that.**

SM: And, you know, originally it was _Jane Eyre_ that Alice tore a page from. But _Jane Eyre_ had nothing to do with the story. It just got in there because Jane Eyre was one was one of my best friends growing up. She was really a big part of my life. {Laughs} That's why it was in there, because that book was such a big part of my growing-up experience and the way I view the world.

Because, actually, I do think there's a Bella-_Jane Eyre_ relationship. Jane Eyre's a stoic. She does what she thinks is right, and she takes it – and she doesn't mouth off about it. You know, in her head, maybe, she suffers, but she never lets that cross her lips. And I do think that there's some of that stoicism – not in the same way, but there's a little bit of that – in Bella.

The real story that I felt tied to was _A Midsummer Night's Dream_, where, in this lovely fantasy, the heartbreak of people not loving the right people – which happens all the time – is made right in this glittery instant of fairy dust. I love that book – and that's the part I love about it. I enjoyed the character of Bottom in the play, but that's not what I read it for. I read it for the magic.

That really is sort of the imprinting idea came from, which existed in _Forever Dawn_ (the original sequel to _Twilight_). And I introduced it earlier, so that it would be something already explained, and I wouldn't have to go into it later. It was about the magic of setting things right – which doesn't happen in the real world, which is absolutely fantasy. But if we can't have things made right in fantasy, then where do we get them made right?

So here's where _The Merchant of Venice_ comes in. the third book of _Breaking Dawn_ – which is full half of the novel – was a lot longer than I thought it would end of being. And the whole time I had to have tension building to the final confrontation…but I wanted to give the clue that this was not going to be a physical confrontation. This was a mental confrontation – and if one person loses, everybody dies.

**SH: Yeah.**

SM: There's no way to win this one with a physical fight. Everyone's going to lose if that happens. So it's a mental battle to survive, and it's all about figuring out the right way to word something. Figuring out the right proof to introduce at exactly the right time, so that you can force someone into conceding – just trapping them in their own words.

**SH: Because in _The Merchant of Venice_, Portia stayed with her beloved by being clever.**

SM: Exactly. And just with her cleverness and by using the right words, she's averting bloodshed and murder from legally happening right in front of her and ruining her life.

**SH: When _The Merchant of Venice_ came up in the story, I immediately started going through my mind: What's the story of _The Merchant of Venice_? What does it mean to this book?**

SM: And in the end of _The Merchant of Venice_, all the lovers get their happy ending. That's one of the reasons I like it. {Laughs}

**SH: _The Merchant of Venice_ and _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ – I like that.**

SM: Can you tell I like the lighter side of Shakespeare? I mean, I like the tragedies too, and Romeo and Juliet is probably my favorite. Which is probably very immature of me, but that's the one that always gets me, and I think that's part of who I am. {Laughs} That's why my books are they way they are – because those are the stories that come alive for me.

**SH: It works so well in _New Moon_. I did also identify with _New Moon_, though, because there's something a little Rochestery about Edward for me.**

SM: Yeah.

**SH: And then Edward leaves – and in _Jane Eyre_, Jane is the one who leaves.**

SM: Yeah.

**SH: And she's with St. John, but you know Jane and Mr. Rochester need to be together. And you don't know: Are they going to be together? And then there's that little bit of the mystical – when she hears him call her name. And she returns to him, and she saves him. And I love that in _New Moon_, too. I never get tired of it.**

SM: I have never thought of it in that context, and there is so much that works with that comparison. I mean, I'm going to have to think about this some more later. Because, wow – there is a lot. I have never written a book where I said: "This one has a _Jane Eyre_ emphasis." But I think you're absolutely right.

You know, isn't it funny how book influence us? They become a part of who you are. I mea, how much of my childhood that I remember has actually happened to me, and how much of it is the events that were in _Anne of Green Gables_? You know, I'm not really sure, because reading was so much of who I was. And those stories were every bit as real – and much more exciting – than the day-to-day boringness that was my life.

But Jane Eyre was this person that I felt like I knew. I think that there's a lot of Mr. Rochester in Edward, and I think there's a lot of Jane in Edward. Because he would take himself away from a situation that's not right, just like she does! And then she's like Bella, comin home at the end. But, my goodness, how close that is. I thank you, Shannon Hale. You have enlightened me.

**SH: {Laughs} Well, you're welcome.**

SM: You know, I think…maybe readers who aren't writers might look at something like that – using inspiration from other books – as kind of a form of plagiarism. But, actually, the more you get into writing, I think you realize that there is no new story.

**SH: Every story has been told, so you're just telling it in a new way. One big reason why it's so important to be well read when you're writing it is because when you write, you can dialogue with everything else that's ever been written. The more you read, the more you get to converse with all these other great works. And that makes them more exciting.**

SM: Right. I really do believe tat, you know, there are no new stories – except maybe Scott Westerfeld. {Laughs} He's, like, the one person who always makes me think: _No one has ever done exactly that before!_ {Laughs} But, you know, every story has a basis in all the stories of your life.

**SH: I think the most common question any writer gets is: Where do you get your ideas from? And that's the impossible question to answer, because, like you said, they come from…**

SM: A million places.

**SH: Everything: everything you experiences or imagined or thought or smelled or read or…**

SM: A person you walked by in the airport once that just – you know, you saw a look in their eye, and you started spinning a story about what was going on in that person's head.

**SH: And, of course, a story isn't just one idea. The more you write, the more you're drawing on a million different pieces of things. That's why it takes so long to write a story, because I start out with an idea…but the more I write, I realize it's just a kernel – because I'm adding more and more depth and intrigue. And along with the characters, it builds to a whole universe.**

SM: It really does. I was trying to describe this recently, about how you have this universe of possibilities. And every time you pick one thing for your story – like Bella is a brunette – all her blond and redhead possibilities disappear. And then, when you pick the kind of car somebody drives, there are a million other vehicles, makes, and models that suddenly die. And as you narrow it down, you're just taking pieces of it and destroying whole worlds that could have been. It's a very interesting process.

**SH: I've got chills.**

ON ECLIPSE

**SH: So when you were writing _Eclipse_, _Twilight_ hadn't come out yet.**

SM: _Twilight_ was not yet in stores. I had finished the rough draft of _Eclipse_. I still had a lot of editing to do, but it stayed pretty much in its present form.

**SH: Was _Twilight_ successful immediately?**

SM: Yes – more so than I thought it would be. I mean, nothing, obviously, to what's going on right now. But when I was out on tour, it did, for one week, hop onto the _New York Times_ list – which, for me, was like the epitome of everything. It was like: _For the rest of my life, I get to say I'm a _New York Times_ bestselling novelist._

**SH: {Laughs} Right.**

SM: So, for that one week, it felt like that was it – that was all I ever needed. {Laughs} So it started out really well. Booksellers were really great about getting the word out ad hand selling it – which is awesome. Before _New Moon_ came out, I had a couple of events with like a hundred people – and they were all excited and ready for what was coming next. That was really, really gratifying.

**SH: So at what point did you have to start balancing the success and the pressures from the outside while you were still writing?**

SM: I think the first real pressure was with _New Moon_, when the advance reading copies came out. _New Moon_ had those two spoilers. Edward leaves, Jacob's a werewolf. Once you know that, most of the suspense is gone from the book. Whether you figure it out or not, it's still huge. So those two things ruin any possibility of suspense in the story, pretty much. The a review written by someone who had an advance reading copy was put online and it gave away every plot point of the whole book six months before the book came out.

That was the first time, I think, my publisher started to realize the power of the Internet with this particular series. Because it just started this huge outpouring of letters and people were so upset. Has this really happened? Why did this person tell us this? Can we read the book now? Is it out? What's going on?

So I felt pressure then – but the book was already written. And then, with _Eclipse_, it started to feel like a lot of people had their specific ideas about what should happen. That was the first time I was really conscious that people were writing the story differently in their heads. I had also started to get that people-didn't-like-Jacob vibe, which really took me by surprise. I think it's because they weren't hearing his first-person the way I was. So then they got to, later.

**SH: I don't know if you felt this way…but I never thought I would write from the point of view of a boy. Maybe because I read a lot of books where men wrote from a woman's point of view, and I found them unrealistic characters.**

SM: Yes, yes!

**SH: Especially, you know, book written in the last century. But I was like: That is such crap! A woman wouldn't think that – wouldn't do that – and it bothered me. So I thought I would never write from a point of view of a boy.**

**But then I met a character – almost exactly the same way you did. With _Goose Girl_ there was a minor character named Razo. And then the book after that, _Enna Burning_, he was in it again – a minor character. And so by the time I got to the third book of the series, and I started to write from his point of view, I'd already known him for two books. And I was thinking:_ I'm not writing this from the point of view of a boy; I'm just writing this person that I know. _And the gender wasn't an issue. Was it sort of like that with Jacob?**

SM: Yeah. You know, I felt a little presumptuous when I started working on writing _Twilight_ from Edward's perspective, because I'm not a boy. But Edward was so much a part of the story, and such a strong voice, that it didn't seem to matter. So I'd kinda gotten that out of my system by the time I decided that I needed to write from Jacob's point of view. But, again – I wasn't writing a boy, I was writing Jacob. It was not like a universal male thing.

I do think that I have a sense of boys, because I have three brothers; I have three sons; I have a husband and my father and my father-in-law. I've seen a lot of teenage boys in action, and they're actually very fascinating, hilarious, and heartbreaking creatures. I mean, they can beat the crap out of each other, and then be laughing with their arms around each other with black eyes five minutes later. I do think that I've observed enough to be able to get the outside right, and that I knew Jacob enough that I could get the inside right.

**SH: I love the Jacob chapters in _Breaking Dawn_. But I need to go back to _Eclipse_. You've talked about _Wuthering Heights_ influencing _Eclipse_.**

SM: Yeah. You know, and that's one of the ones that's interesting to me, because _Wuthering Heights_ is not a book that I like. There are characters in it that fascinate me, but, as a whole, I don't enjoy reading that book. I enjoy reading the very end of it, and I enjoy reading a couple pieces in the middle, but most of the time I just find it really depressing. When Edward speaks about it, he has my opinion being spoken through him: It's a hate story – it's not a love story.

The pull between Edgar and Heathcliff is strong – and, you know, Cathy makes the wrong choice. Both of them had something to offer, and she chose the part that didn't matter. Even though I don't like to read _Wuthering Heights_, I think about that part a lot. It's one of those things that stays with you.

You could look at Edward and Jacob from one perspective and say: Okay, this one is Heathcliff and this one is Edgar. And someone else might say: No, wait a second. Because of this reason and that reason, that one is Heathcliff and the other one is Edgar. And I thought was great, because wither one could have been the one that was wrong for her, and wither one could have been the one that was right. I like that confusion, because that's how life is.

**SH: And when we're reading _Wuthering Heights_, we're reading it from an outsider's perspective. From the future looking back. So, as a reader, we know who she should choose. And we see her choose the wrong one, and that's why it's a tragedy. But with Eclipse we don't know who she will, or maybe even should, choose.**

SM: Well, in Wuthering Heights we see who Cathy should choose. But we also see the person that she should choose is a horrible person.

**SH: {Laughs} Right.**

SM: And so, maybe, she should choose the nice guy, but, you know, Heathcliff was who she loved. But, at the same time, was he really healthy for her? What would have happened to them if they had gone off together?

**SH: Now, this reminds me of something that I'm really interested in. We're talking about who she should or shouldn't choose. I think sometimes readers assign a moral to a story, and think that, from the outside, we're writing the story in order to teach people how to live. {SM laughs} But I can't think about a story's moral when I'm writing – I can only think about whether this story is interesting to me.**

SM: And when I write stories, they're very specific – it's about this one situation, and one person who's not like anybody else in the world. So that person's decisions and choices are not a model for anyone else. And it bothers me when people say: Well, this story is preaching this, or the moral is this. Because it's just a story. It's about an interesting circumstance and how it resolves. It's not intended to mean anything for anybody else's life.

**SH: I do think that there are some writers out there who are trying to teach through their stories. And I've read moralizing books that just don't work.**

SM: Well, you have to be really talented to make it work. You know, C. S. Lewis does it well. I love his books, and he is very much out to put a message into his stores. But he's so good that he gets away with it.

**SH: I think it's really important as readers to expand out understanding of the world, to get really close to characters that are different from us – and watch them make mistakes, or make good choices, and then think: _Would I do it that way?_**

SM: Sometimes people tell me: "So girls are coming away from your books with this fill-in-the-blank impression." Maybe something like: "You should hold out for the perfect gentleman." In which case I would say, "Well, that's a positive message: You should not let people treat you badly. If you're dating somebody who doesn't put you well-being first, if they're being mean or cruel to you – get away from that." And that's a great message: If you're with a mean, nasty boyfriend, run away right now. {Laughs}

**SH: Right.**

SM: But that' snot the message of the book. Just because Edward's a gentleman, and he cares about Bella more than himself – and maybe that's something that you would wish for in a romance – it doesn't mean that that's a message I was trying to write.

**SH: On the flip side, if someone comes away thinking that the moral of the story of _New Moon_ is that there's only one person who's right for you in the whole world, and if they leave you, then life is not worth living…**

SM: Exactly! Some things you could take away from books could be turned into a positive thing in your life, but you could also make them into something negative, and that would be horrible. So I think it's easier just to look at the book as: This is a fictional account – I wasn't trying to teach anyone anything – I just wanted to entertain myself. And I did. I was really entertained. {Laughs}

**SH: I'm always trying to figure out where the line is with author responsibility. What we write and then send out there is going to affect people's lives. But I have absolutely no control about how people will _interpret_ what I write. If readers need to find a moral, or a lesson, in it, they teach it to themselves. And I don't think I can control what it is that the readers teach themselves. Do you think that reading does more for you than just provide entertainment?**

SM: It does a lot for me – but I don't hold the writer responsible for what I get out of it. When I read about someone like Jane Eyre, I say: "I want to be stronger. I want to know myself so well, and to know right and wrong so well, that I can walk away with nothing." I just loved her moral sense. But I don't think that Charlotte Brontë meant for me to use that as a guide to life. If you can find something inspiring in characters, that's awesome, but that's not their primary purpose.

**SH: And it can't be, or it kills the story. The primary purpose has to be telling the story.**

SM: It has to be entertainment.

ON FINDING STORY IDEAS

**SH: People often ask me – and I'm sure you get this, too: How do you come up with so many ideas? Once you start writing, the ideas just keep multiplying.**

SM: Yeah. I hate to travel, but I see so many stories in airports. We were in, I think, Chicago, waiting for a flight, and this whole story just played out right in front of us. There was a man and a woman, and she kept leaning toward him and touching him, and he was always shifting away from her just a little bit, and not meeting her eye. And it was so clear, the inequality in their feelings, and where I imagined their future was heading, I felt I could just run with it. When you spend time around people, you know, there are so many stories that it just can make you crazy when you want to write them all down.

**SH: Yeah, there's never a problem with finding ideas; it's just finding the time to write it, and the words to tell it.**

SM: For me, it's time. I don't usually experience the kind of writer's block that people talk about. My kind of writer's block is when I know what needs to happen, and I just have a stumbling block – some transition that I can't get past.

The longest part of writing _Breaking Dawn_ was writing right after all the action sequences. Bella becoming a vampire – that was very easy – but after that section I had to skip four months ahead. And that transition took me more time than any other section of the book. It's only half a chapter long – it's not very many words – and the amount of time per word put into that section is probably ten times what it was in any other part of the book.

There are just some things that are not exciting, but I like to write minute by minute. And when I have to write, "And then three months passed," it kills me.

**SH: {Laughs} I don't believe in writer's block. I sort of embrace it, which feels good. And it doesn't mean that writing isn't hard, and sometimes I can't come up with the right way to do it. The way I get over it is by allowing myself to write really badly, and then I rewrite a lot. I hate writing first drafts – it's so painful for me – but the story time for me comes in the rewrite. I already have some clay there to work with, and then I rewrite. But your first drafts, I think, are difficult for you.**

SM: I love writing first drafts. I don't think about what I'm doing. It's hard for me to go back and reshape it. I can see it needs help, so I have more trouble – maybe because it doesn't feel like clay anymore. It's more like marble – I have to chip it off.

**SH: Then you know what we need to do? {Laughs} You need to write first drafts, and then I'll rewrite them. And then we'll be happy.**

SM: We'll combine forces.

**SH: But then you'll see the book that I've turned it into, and you'll be like: _What?!_**

SM: Well, then you'll get the rough draft and think: _I don't want to do anything with this! _{Laughs}

**SH: Would you even collaborate with another writer? Do you think you could do that?**

SM: I don't know if I could. You know, sometimes I wonder, because it looks like a whole lot of fun. I really enjoy other writers, and their processes. It's fascinating. Maybe if it were something where we were switching off voices…But I don't think I could write another person's character, because I would have to really care to be able to write. If I don't care about the character, I can't finish it. Or if, for some reason, the character has become an unhappy place for me, then I just can't go there.

I had one draft of about five chapters of a story that really was human – no fantasy, which is always a drawback for me – and then something happened in my family that made it a very painful place to be. It wasn't something I had seen coming. I didn't think it would ever have any relevance in my life that way. And it became too painful a place to work.

So I have to be in just exactly the right place to be able to write. With someone else's character…I just don't think I could care deeply enough about them to put out the effort that it takes to write a story.

ON CELEBRITY AND SUCCESS

**SH: The person who you are naturally – when you're at home with your family, and you're working – is going to be different than the person signing books and greeting fans. How do you balance those two personas? Have you created two different personalities?**

SM: I had to. The person who I am at home, with my family, is shy, not comfortable around strangers, kind of homebody. And so to be able to speak to large groups – to be able to meet a bunch of strangers, which is hard for me; to be able to travel outside of my comfort zone – I had to get stronger. I had to do things that weren't fun for me and just suck it up, you know. {Laughs} Because the real me couldn't even imagine having to do that, so somebody else had to do it. {Laughs}

**SH: Is it exhausting to live that public persona?**

SM: It is. It's funny…Just recently – I've got some friends who are friendly with some fans, and they had a party, and I was invited to it. And they're like: "It's just going to be really mellow. Don't worry about it – you know, it's just for fun." But I knew I would have to go and be Stephenie Meyer. I couldn't just be Stephenie. And I'd just gotten off the tour, and I just couldn't face it right then. I needed to just stay home and be me.

**SH: I've found it's hard for some people to understand that. For me, there's nothing as exhausting as doing a book signing or a school presentation or something. And I think part of it is that I don't think I am interesting enough to make it worthwhile for anybody to hear me talk – or to stand in line to meet me. And so I'm pouring my energy out onto these people, and trying to give them as much as I can. I mean, I'm sure you've had this, too – more than I have – where people will fly in from several states away just to meet you for those few seconds in line. And I think: _How on earth could I make this worth their time?_**

SM: Exactly. And, in fact, I felt so much pressure not to be a letdown that, on my last tour, I brought along a rock star. And I felt so much better. {Laughs} Justin Furstenfeld from Blue October came and played some of the music the inspired my writing, and we interviewed each other onstage. I enjoyed what he did so much that I thought: _You know what? These kids are getting an amazing show. This is special – this is something that is worth them coming out for. _If I ever tour again, I will not leave the house without a rock star by my side. {Laughs} That is the new rule. Or…

**SH: A juggling act – a magician.**

SM: A magician would be good! Because, well, honestly, in person, there's nothing really that great either of us can do. We write books, so our big finale is sitting in front of a little computer, in a little room. And it's not something exciting to watch. It's the story that's the exciting part, and anybody can get that at the bookstore.

I've had the experience where I got to meet one of my personal idols, just because a friend pulled some strings and I got backstage at a concert. I lived off that for months. So I try and remember that, and think: _You know what? It means something to them, even though I can't understand why it would be anything special._

**SH: You know, it is true. I really can be such a fangirl. And I get so excited when I meet with writers…**

SM: On the last tour I got to go out to lunch with Terry Brooks. The first real book I ever read was _The Sword of Shannara_. I was sitting next to this man who has so much experience – and so many years of doing this – and I'm thinking: _This book opened the entire world of reading to me. The gift that this man has given me, unconsciously, is nothing I could ever, ever repay._ It was just this really amazing experience.

ON BALANCING WRITING AND LIFE

**SH: It took me a long time to admit that I was a writer. I wouldn't give myself permission to take the time – or to take it seriously – for a long, long time. But you started off in a different way. You already had three kids.**

SM: I did not call myself an author without making some kind of snide comment for at least two years after the book was sold.

**SH: Two years?**

SM: I had this really strong sense of paranoia – like it wasn't real, that the whole deal was a practical joke – for a very long time. Because the contract negotiation took a good nine months, so for all of that time someone could have been stringing me along. It wasn't until the check came – and didn't bounce – that I really started to believe it.

**SH: Have people changed toward you – family, friends, and acquaintances?**

SM: You know, because when I started writing I had a bunch of little babies, we've moved a couple times. And you lose track of people, anyway, so I haven't held on to many of my friends from before I started writing, just because of location.

It's the same way with my college roommates. We're lucky if we get a phone call in once a year anymore. Then I've gotten enormously busy – I've changed – I don't have as much time for social things. And I do think that I probably lost some friends out of sheer neglect. Because I wasn't going to neglect my kids.

**SH: Yeah.**

SM: And that summer with _Twilight_, I couldn't do anything social. Why would I spend my time away from Forks when I could be there? I'm getting better at balancing it, and I have some really great friends now, which is nice. I have a lot of extended family, too, and they've all been very cool and supportive. But because there are so many of them, we haven't been able to spend a lot of time together. I have seventy-five first cousins on one side of my family, so it's not like we can get together and party very often. Most of us have several kids. My dad had a stepmom with five kids; his dad had seven…It's just a really big family. {Laughs} A big, warm family, and nobody's been uncool about it. It's all been very nice.

**SH: I think family is good…They knew you as an obnoxious young person. {Laughs}**

SM: Very obnoxious. Yeah, I'm just Stephenie to them.

**SH: I don't think I've had has gotten to my head, because I can't really take it seriously, or absorb it, anyway. But if I ever got close, I think my family would be there to tear me back down. {SM laughs} Which is what family is for.**

SM: Yeah, my husband's really good at keeping me humble, you know? Because he's such a math person. If something's not quantifiable – if it doesn't fit into an equation – it can't possibly be important. And so, to him, books are like: _Oh, you know…isn't that nice? Little fairy stories. _To me, books are the whole world, and it's such a different viewpoint. So that helps. And then, like you, I don't trust this to last for a second.

**SH: Yeah.**

SM: And when negative things happen with my career, I kind of expect them – more than I expect the positive. It's almost like: _Yes, this is what I thought was going to happen! _I saw this one coming! Because I am a pessimist – raised in a long tradition of fine pessimists {SH laughs} who have never expected anything good for decades. So I come by it naturally. {Laughs} So with every book that comes out, I think: _Oh, this is it. This is the last time anybody's going to want to publish me._ And maybe it's healthier than thinking: _I am the best! I'm so amazing!_ I don't think that's a healthy way to be. It'd probably be nice to be somewhere in the middle, but… {Laughs}

**SH: In some ways, I would love to have the armor – the wonderful author's ego – that I am right, and I know what I'm doing, and I'm brilliant.**

SM: Yeah, that might be nice.

**SH: So, we're both mothers. And I think that mothers are famously guilt-ridden creatures. {SM laughs} I mean, we never succeed – we're always failing at something. So have you had to deal with guilt of, you know, taking the time – allowing yourself to take the time to be a writer, and to pursue this?**

SM: Occasionally. It doesn't bother me that often. I think it's because my kids are really, really great. They're good and they're happy. I've seen kids who are treated like the center of the universe, and I don't think that's entirely healthy. I think it's really good for my kids to see that I have my own life outside of them – that I'm a real person. I think that's going to help them when they grow up and have children – to realize that they're still who they are.

And then I am pretty careful about _when_ I write. Now it's mostly when they're in school. When they were little, though, I ever shut myself away in an office – I'd always written in the middle of their madness – so I'd be there, and I could get whatever they needed. They know I'm listening. And they're also pretty good about saying: "Okay, Mommy's writing right now. Unless I'm bleeding, I'm not going to bug her."

And I also write at night. When they come home from school, we do homework and I hear about their day and I make them snacks. The nice thing about writing is, you can do it on your own schedule. But you do lose sleep. You know, I feel like I haven't slept eight hours in ten years.

**SH: It's like having a newborn, writing a book, isn't it?**

SM: It is. Well, because you lie there in bed – and, oh, heaven help you if you start thinking about plotline. If you start getting a little bit of dialogue in your head, you're doomed – you'll never get to sleep.

**SH: Is it so true. I can sleep pretty well at the beginning of the night. If, for whatever reason, I wake up – or my son comes in and wakes me up anytime between the hours of two and five – and if my mind, for one second, goes back to the book I'm writing right now, I'm done for the rest of the night. I can't go back to sleep, because my mind starts working over and over it. I've had to train my brain to do that, on purpose, so that I'm always writing, even when I'm not.**

SM: You at least put things in the back of your head, so that you're solving the problems.

**SH: Exactly – so when I sit down to write it's more productive, because I've been working over it in my brain. But, like you say, when you do that in the middle of the night, you're doomed.**

SM: Well, one of my problems right now is that I have not committed to a project at this point in time, and I'm waiting to be done with the publicity. And that's never _really_ going to happen, so I just need to commit to one. I have about fourteen different books, and every night it's a new one. And I'm coming up with solutions for this one point that really bothered me in one story. I thought maybe I couldn't write it because of this one point. But then I'll wake up at four o'clock in the morning with a perfect solution, and then I can't go back to sleep.

**SM: I have found if I just write it down, then my mind can stop working over it.**

SM: Exactly.

ON READING AND WRITING FOR YOUNG ADULTS

**SH: So far, all of your stories have something of the fantastic in them. You don't read only fantasy, though.**

SM: Oh, I love mainstream fiction, and there are a lot of books that I really love that are without absolutely any fantasy elements. But, for me, the fantasy ones are for writing. There's an extra amount of happiness, that extra oomph, in getting to make your own worlds at the same time that you're writing it. I like that part…Megalomania…You know, having control over an entire world? {Laughs}

**SH: That's funny. Like we were talking about earlier, when you're a writer there's so much that can happen to ego, both good and bad and everything in between. But young-adult authors tend to be pretty down-to-earth, don't you think?**

SM: Well, I think writing YA keeps you humble. Because everybody says to you: "Oh…you write for children. Isn't that nice?" It can be so patronizing sometimes, and, absolutely, it keeps you humble. It makes it so you can't possibly become the "I am an author" author. There's no way to do that when you write for children. {Laughs}

**SH: I think there's also an element of: _It isn't all just about me._ We've both written adult books. I think, when you're in the adult market, it's all about how many books you sell and what awards you get. But when you're writing in the children's market, it's about the children, too. And you're part of this team – with librarians and booksellers and parents and teachers – and you're promoting literacy and some good stuff beyond just: _I'm writing a book, and now pay me for it._ So I think people tend to be more even-tempted and more balanced in the children's world.**

SM: Because I didn't set out to write for children, I would never have thought that my books would promote literacy. Someone would have to be a real reader to ever pick one of these up, just because they've run out of everything else. {Laughs}

And one of the little "icing things" of this career is to have these kids come up to tell me that this is the first book they've ever read for pleasure, and that they've moved on. Now they've read this other one, and they've read that one, and now they're so excited about some other book they've found. And to have written the first book that got them excited to be a reader – oh, that's an amazing gift.

**SH: It is. The best compliment that I ever got was not that my books are their favorite, but that mine was the first that made them fall in love with reading.**

SM: And now they've gone on. You know, I had a great childhood, and one thing that made my childhood so special was that because I loved to read, I lived a thousand adventures – and I was a thousand heroines, and I feel in love a thousand times. And now, to open up those worlds for somebody else…I know how great it is, and I wish I could give everybody that gift – to find the book that does it for you.

I did an interview for _The Host_ once, and the camera guy who was setting everything up said: "So this book is about aliens?" I said: "Yeah, kind of." And he said, "Well, you know, I think I've read three books in my life. I hate reading, ever since school – it was such a torture." And I just thought: _How sad! There's some book out there that's perfectly tailored for him, and he doesn't know._

**SH: Right.**

SM: But he's not going to pick it up, because he had a bad experience. I really feel like one of the most important things you can do for kids in school is not just give them the classics that teach them about excellent form and really great writing style, but also throw in a couple of fun things that teach them that reading can be this amazing adventure. Let them love some story, so at least they know not all books are "hard" or "difficult," but that they can just be fun.

**SH: I agree so passionately about that. And I think some of the key is to have a lot of variety. Because not every genre, or every storytelling style is going to be right for everyone.**

SM: Some people are going to latch on to Shakespeare, and they're going to be like: {gasps} "The insights!" And then some people are going to need an action story with car chases and gunfights – they're going to need that to get them started.

**SH: Every student should have a chance to find at least one book they fall in love with. Then they'll be more likely to go on and keep reading for life.**

SM: Exactly. When I was in school I had some really great teachers. And lucky for me, I had already discovered books that I really liked. The classics came easily to me – I read them early, and so it was familiar ground: _Oh, good. I'm doing Jane Austen again. Whoo!_ But a lot of kids come into it and they're hit in the face with a great big difficult-to-understand text – if they don't have the background to appreciate the experience, it just sours them on the whole thing. And it's sad.

**SH: I meet so many adults who stopped reading for years. And they tell me that a friend pressed them to read a book, and more often then not it was _Twilight_…and then they find that they do like to read, after all, and they go on to read other books.**

**So, Stephenie Meyer, thank you. For changing the world – making it a better place – and reminding so many people that we love to read.**

SM: I do what I can. {Both laugh}


	3. Author's Note

Hey everybody,

Sorry that I haven't updated in, wow, about 2 months. I'm so sorry everybody. I've been really busy with school lately. I started my junior year of high school at the end of August and since then, I've been busy with projects and everything for school (considering I'm in all Honors and GT classes). I'm just mainly focusing on my grades right now. I'm going to, hopefully, be applying to community college later this year so I can go to high school half a day and college half a day next year.

My boyfriend and I broke up about a month ago after almost a year of dating and I've been kind of devastated about it. So, that's another reason why I haven't really been writing.

I'm also focusing on my book, _New Witchcraft_, as well. I've been working on it for almost a year and I'm only on Chapter 7 (hence my busy schedule). I'm really trying to get it finished as well, so Fanfiction hasn't really been a priority right now.

I have updated some stories within the last month, and I'm trying my best to update more often, but homework, school activities, and chores come before anything else.

For all my lovely reviewers, thank you so much for all the support I get for you guys. Whenever I feel down, I sometimes check your awesome reviews and I cheer up. So thank you all for all of the support you've given me throughout the past years and a half I've been on this site.

I'm posting some notes on my stories, so if you scroll down to where this story is, it'll be much appreciated. Oh, and before I forget to tell you all…I'm working on these stories in order by when I last updated (meaning if I haven't updated a certain story for 2 months, I'll be writing the next chapter for it and have it up as soon as possible). Story notes time!:

**For _Rose Loses Her Memory_:**

Hello! You have chosen _Rose Loses Her Memory_. I just updated this story, so please check out Chapter 30. I'm also having a rough time with the plot-line, so please, bear with me. This is my main priority at the moment.

**For _Reading Frostbite_:**

Hello! You have chosen _Reading Frostbite_. I just updated this story as well, so please go check out Chapter 20. I'm almost done with this book and I should be done writing the next chapter soon. This is my main priority at the moment as well.

**For _The Twilight Saga: The Official Guide_:**

Hello! You have chosen _The Twilight Saga: The Official Guide_. *rubs the back of her neck* Um, I just started on the next chapter for this. It should be up within the next 2 weeks. But I may warn you…this isn't really a priority right now.

**For _Alternate Ending to Frostbite_:**

Hello! You have chosen _Alternate Ending to Frostbite_. I'm, at the moment, having a little trouble with the plot-line. I'm trying to think up of something, but it's not really going to well.

**For _Ways to Piss Off Rose_:**

Hello! You have chosen _Ways to Piss Off Rose_. Um, I'm basically done with this one-shot – now a multi-shot. Unless anybody gives me any ideas, this story is officially complete and I won't be working on it anymore.

**For _Ways to Piss Off Dimitri_:**

Hello! You have chosen _Ways to Piss Off Dimitri_. It's the same as I said above with _Ways to Piss Off Rose_, I'm basically done with this one-shot – now a multi-shot. Unless anybody gives me any ideas, this story is officially complete and I won't be working on it anymore.

**For _Vampire Academy: The Ultimate Guide_:**

Hello! You have chosen _Vampire Academy: The Ultimate Guide_. I just updated this story last weekend, so you guys should be good until the next update. I have no idea when that will be, but I'm hoping soon.

Thank you guys so much for all of your support throughout my hectic life this past year. I love you guys so much.

Until next time,

-Stephanie

(a.k.a. Pinkdonodudelover83)


	4. Vampires

Here's chapter 3. Please enjoy :)

* * *

**Author's Note: All characters, plotlines, and everything in between are created and owned by Richelle Mead. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement intended.**

**Chapter 3: Shadow Kiss**

_RICHELLE ON _SHADOW KISS

_If readers thought the ending to _Frostbite_ was harsh, it was nothing compared to this one. _Frostbite_ was just the warm-up act! Again, I'd known from day one that the series was going to go in this direction, so the ending to this book wasn't that difficult for me to write. In fact, it's probably one of my favorite things that I've ever written! No author wants to be cruel, but we all really want to create something that has an impact on readers, and _ShadowKiss_'s ending certainly delivered. This book's publication was also kind of a wake-up call for me about how much of a following the series had now. The first book had done well, but it certainly wasn't an overnight blockbuster. The series' popularity had been growing steadily but gradually, and it wasn't obvious to me, the author, how big the fan base was getting. Both _Shadow Kiss_ and the previous book had made the _New York Times_ Bestseller list, but the impact of what that truly meant didn't hit me until, immediately after _ShadowKiss_'s publication, my inbox began getting filled with distraught e-mails from readers devastated by the ending. I was flooded with comments from those who couldn't believe I'd done something so mean to the characters. An astonishing amount of people told me that they'd thrown the book across the room in outrage–but then they'd add that they were eager to read the next book. What probably shocked me the most was that there was a handful of people who believed this was a trilogy and that I actually ended the series this way! Now _that_ would've been mean._

**First Line**: His fingertips slid along my back, applying hardly any pressure, yet sending shock waves over my flesh.

GHOST FROM THE PAST

Rose if having a very sexy dream, but it's not Dimitri who's the object of her affection; it's…_Christian_?

Oh no. it's happening again. Rose slipped into Lissa's mind by accident, something that's easier to control when she's awake. Luckily, she's able to pull herself out of her friend's romantic encounter with her boyfriend.

But now she's extremely cranky since it's only a reminder that Lissa can have the perfect relationship out in the open, but Rose's feelings toward Dimitri need to be bottled up and kept a secret. _So_ not fair.

She doesn't want to go back to sleep and risk facing the couple again, so she decides to get some fresh air. Maybe a walk through the campus will help her take her mind off her own troubles…

But her "troubles"–aka Dimitri–are currently out on patrol. She plays it off like her being out in the middle of the night (which in the vampire world is actually _day_) is no big deal.

_"Rose–"Dimitri's hand caught my arm, and despite all the wind and chill and slush, a flash of heat shot through me. He released me with a start, as though he too had been burned. "What are you really doing out here?"_

_He was using the _stop fooling around_ voice, so I gave him as truthful an answer as I could. "I had a bad dream. I wanted some air."_

_And so you just rushed out. Breaking the rules didn't even cross your mind–and neither did putting on a coat."_

_"Yeah," I said. "That pretty much sums it up."_

_"Rose, Rose." This time it was his exasperated voice. "You never change."_

_**-Page 7**_

But she _has_ changed. What happened in Spokane–losing Mason and singlehandedly killed tow Strigoi–has given Rose a darker outlook on life. And Dimitri knows it.

When Alberta, the captain of the school guardians, draws near, Dimitri tells Rose to stay out of sight. But from her hiding place, she ends up hearing something shocking. Dimitri is scheduled to testify at Victor Dashkov's upcoming trial for kidnapping Lissa. Victor had wanted her to use her spirit ability to heal his debilitating disease and didn't hesitate in killing anyone who got in his way. Now he's being judged. But this doesn't make any sense to Rose…why aren't she and Lissa testifying on their own behalf? They were both involved in the incident.

Alberta leaves and Rose comes out of her hiding spot to grill Dimitri about this. Victor is one of thing highest-ranking royals, very close to the throne, and Dimitri says that those who know about the trial would prefer things stay quiet. He assures her that there's more then enough evidence to put Victor behind bars without Rose Lissa attending the trial. While Dimitri is sorry and understands why she'd be upset about this–Rose would love to help convict the man who very nearly destroyed her and Lissa's lives–it wasn't his decision.

They part ways and an annoyed Rose heads back to her dorm. But someone is watching her. Someone familiar.

Stunned, she realizes that it's Mason.

But that's impossible. He was killed three weeks ago!

He beckons to her, a sad, grim expression on his face. Terrified, she runs away. When she looks back, he's gone. Maybe it was just her imagination.

GETTING EXPERIENCED

The next day is the exciting start of the novices' field experience. For the next six weeks, Rose–even though she has two _molnija_ marks, she's sill a novice guardian–and the other seniors in her class will be assigned a Moroi student. Each of them will protect their Moroi from fake Strigoi attacks, instigated by guardians, to test what they've learned so far. Rose thinks it's a done deal that she'll be assigned to Lissa. The two of them will ace this assignment. Piece of cake.

But she isn't. She's shocked when Eddie gets Lissa. And Rose gets…_Christian_.

This seriously can't be happening. She's supposed to get _Lissa_–her _best friend_. The girl she protected for two years when they were out on their own. The one she will be protecting full-time once they graduate. Somebody must have made a huge mistake!

And angry and indignant Rose confronts Alberta and Dimitri and insist they see reason and reassign her to Lissa. Instead, she's told that this is a lesson for her. In real life guardians don't have a choice: whoever they're assigned to is who they get. Bottom line: she'll need to suck it up or she'll fail this very important assignment.

Fine. But she's not going to be happy about it.

Meanwhile, ever since they got back from Spokane, Adrian's been hanging out at the school to learn more about the spirit ability he and Lissa share. But it's not Lissa who he has a thing for. It's the pretty girl he likes to call "little dhampir."

_"Look, Rose. You don't have to keep up with the hard-to-get thing. You've already got me."_

_Adrian knew perfectly well I wasn't playing hard to get, but he always took a particular delight in teasing me. "I'm really not in the mood for your so-called charm today."_

_"What happened, then? You're stomping through every puddle you can find and look like you're going to punch the first person you see."_

_"Why are you hanging around then? Aren't you worried about getting hit?"_

_"Aw, you'd never hurt me. My face is too pretty."_

_**-Pages 34-35**_

But his flirtation is lost on her current dark mood. He notices that it's not just her mood, but her aura that's also edged in darkness. It's like there's always a shadow following her. Something about how he says it makes her shiver. Once before, Adrian mentioned that Rose "takes shadows" from Lissa. But Rose doesn't know what this means. For now, it simply feels like a permanent bad mood.

Lissa has been officially granted permission to off her depression meds and is able to use her magic again so that she and Adrian can get deeper into learning spirit. This worries Rose, who's seen her friend slide into darkness before because of her power. She asks Eddie, who'll be working closely with Lissa during the tests, to keep an eye on her.

As the field experience begins, Rose needs to tag along with Christian–who she's till not overly fond of despite their shared traumatic experience in Spokane–wherever he goes. Before the end of the day, they're presented with their first "attack," and Dimitri is playing one of the Strigoi. Eddie–also part of the kidnapping by Strigoi–fights them off and gets Rose to hang back and "protect" the Moroi. It goes fairly perfectly, even though Rose would prefer to play a bigger role in the scuffle. Still, not bad for a first day's work. Also, as she spends some time with Christian, things get friendlier between the two. She begins to think the next six weeks won't be so bad after all.

While accompanying Christian back to his dorm, Brandon Lazar, a friendly Moroi student who also lives thee, falls into step with them. Rose is surprised to see that his face is bruise, which makes her wonder if he too has been fighting guardians lately. She questions him about this, and the kid shrugs it off as nothing, firmly telling the inquisitive Rose to let it go. But that's not something Rose does very easily, not with her curiosity–and concern–has been piqued. She's going to press for more information, but suddenly, they're attacked again!

Finally, Rose has a chance to kick some butt and show everybody that she's got what it takes to be a guardian. She puts herself in between Brandon and Christian and faces off with Stan, an instructor who's given her a hard time ever since she returned to the school.

But when a vision of Mason appears again, it's enough to make Rose completely lose her focus, and she gets taken down hard, failing the assignment very badly. After all of her complaints and attitude about being assigned to Christian rather than Lissa, Stan assumes she's trying to rebel against the test.

Rose is dragged before a disciplinary committee and reprimanded, but she can't exactly tell them the truth. To sat she's seeing ghosts would make her look crazy and possibly get her kicked out of school–or worse. But to say nothing makes her look incompetent–someone not capable of guarding a royal like Lissa. It's a lose-lose situation.

Just when her fate is looking bleak, Dimitri jumps to her defense. Rose is given another chance but put on probation. Plus, one day a week she'll be required to do community service as punishment. Could be worse.

Later, when another novice guardian taunts Rose for her abysmal performance, her temper boils over, and she gets him back by putting his Moroi charge in immediate danger–from _her_. It actually takes Adrian and his strong compulsion to make Rose let the girl go. Rose is dealing with some _major_ anger issues. Maybe Mason's ghost stirred up some deep feelings in her.

Lissa's angry too, since she incorrectly assumes that Rose purposefully screwed up with Christian all because she doesn't like him. Rose can't believe that her best friend would immediately think the worst of her.

_"Do you think I'd do this? Abandon Christian and make myself look stupid on purpose just to get back at my teachers?"_

_"No," she said finally. "You'd probably do it in a way where you wouldn't get caught."_

_"Dimitri said that same thing," I grumbled. "I'm glad everyone has so much faith in me."_

_"We do," she countered. "That's why all of this is so weird."_

_"Even I make mistakes." I put on my brash, overconfident face. "I know it's hard to believe–kind of surprises me myself–but I guess it has to happen. It's probably some kind of karmic way to balance out the universe. Otherwise, it wouldn't be fair to have one person so full of awesomeness."_

_**-Page 80**_

Rose knows she has to tell Lissa and the others about the Victor Dashkov trial they're not invited to. And just as she expected, Lissa's freaked by the very mention of his name. As Lissa struggles to get control over her emotions, Rose finds she's _losing_ control over her own. Her now-familiar black mood has seized her again, and she wants to let it out by ranting and raving about how mad she is that they can't go to Victor's trial.

But her first duty is to protect Moroi, not to give in to her own impulses. It's the guardian mantra: _They come first._

Those words are starting to annoy her.

That night, while Rose is camped out on Christian's bedroom floor–being a guardian is a twenty-four-hour-a-day job–she's drawn into one of Adrian's spirit dreams. And he's not exactly the sanest she's ever seen him.

"_Rose is in red_

_But never in blue_

_Sharp as a thorn_

_Fights like one too."_

_Adrian dropped his arms and looked at me expectantly._

_"How can a thorn fight?" I asked._

_He shook his head. "Art doesn't have to make sense, little dhampir. Besides, I'm supposed to be crazy, right?"_

_"Not the craziest I've ever seen."_

_"Well," he said, pacing over to study some hydrangeas. "I'll work on that."_

_**-Pages 91-92**_

Rose takes Adrian's craziness in stride–it seems to simply be a part of who he is. She's been feeling pretty crazy lately, too, but Adrian points out that truly crazy people rarely question whether or not they're crazy. Good point. It makes her feel just a little bit better.

Adrian lets Rose know that he's tired of her giving him the brush-off whenever he shows interest in her. He knows she's into Dimitri, but come on, the guy isn't perfect. _He_ can't get Rose into Victor Dashkov's trial, but Adrian, on the other hand…well, he just _might_. He suggests she start being nicer to him.

When Christian and Rose meet up with Lissa and Eddie after class one day, they're "attacked." Eddie and Rose fight together to take down the "Strigoi" threat. Rose is so determined to kick butt that she forgets that being a guardian isn't just about the glory of the fight. Eddie's praised and Rose is chastised for not protecting the Moroi and instead looking for a chance to redeem herself. She really can't win lately.

To make matters worse, Eddie got his face scraped in the scuffle, and Lissa can't resist healing him with spirit. Adrian's amazed by this use of their ability and scratches himself purposefully to get her to do it again so he can learn from it.

Rose's mood drops further.

So does Christian's, although not for the same reasons. He's growing increasingly jealous at how much time Lissa and Adrian are spending together. Bottom line: Christian doesn't feel that he's good enough to be with Lissa. And Adrian…well, he's the queen's gorgeous, rich grand-nephew.

Rose assures Christian that he has nothing to worry about–Lissa's crazy about him. But Christian isn't convinced…

However, he is hungry. Rose accompanies Christian to the on-campus feeder room located near the cafeteria so he can get some blood. There, Jesse and Ralf, two Moroi guys that Rose hates, approach him with an offer to join a secret group they've recently formed, but Christian turns them down flat. While he'd like to be more accepted around school, even _he_ has standards. Still, he wonders what kind of group it is…

ALMOST A DATE

Dimitri volunteers to help Rose with her community service, which surprises her. This is supposed to be his day off; why would he want to spend it cleaning the chapel?

As they clean, Rose is still plagued by her Mason sightings. This seems like as good a place as any to find answers, so she decides to ask the priest about ghosts. But what the priest tells her isn't exactly what she wants to hear: some believe that those who die young and violently will wander the earth for a time after their deaths. Could Mason really be a ghost–and is he haunting _her_?

Rose still feels chilled by her conversation with the priest as she and Dimitri take some boxes across campus to the elementary dorm. Rose waits outside while Dimitri brings the boxes in, and that's where she meets Jill Mastrano–a fourteen-year-old who's totally starstruck by the infamous Rose Hathaway. Jill's a young, super-enthusiastic Moroi who tells her she wants to learn to use her magic defensively–and _also_ learn to throw a punch. Maybe Rose can teach her some moves some time? Moroi students are getting beaten up lately by "some psycho," and Jill wants to know how to properly defend herself.

This makes Rose remember Brandon's bruises from the other day. What is going on at St. Vlad's and who is beating kids up?

Before Rose can show Jill any fighting techniques, Dimitri shows up. Jill is tongue-tied around the handsome Russian and scurries off. Rose is still surprised the girl would want help from her, but Dimitri's not. Rose is outgoing and dedicated, and she excels at everything she does–she's definitely earned a lot of respect.

Not enough to get an invite to the trial, though, she reminds him. She wants to know if he can do anything to help, but he can't. He just doesn't have as much influence as Rose might think.

To Rose, Dimitri should be able to do _anything_. Why not this when she wants it so much? She refuses to accept that there's nothing he can do to help. And is he's so disinterested in her, why did he even bother helping her clean the chapel today? Is he spying on her? Trying to keep her out of trouble?

_"Why does there have to be some ulterior motive?"_

_I wanted to blurt out a hundred different things. Like, if there weren't a motive, then that meant he just wanted to spend time with me. And that made no sense, because we both knew we were only supposed to have a teacher-student relationship. He of all people should know that. He was the one who'd told me._

_"Because everyone has motives."_

_"Yes. But not always the motives you think." He pushed open the door. "I'll see you later."_

_I watched him go, my feelings a tangle of confusion and anger. If the situation hadn't been so strange, I would have almost said it was like we'd just gone on a date._

_**-Page 133**_

OFF TO COURT

Turns out Rose shouldn't have spent so much time worrying–Lissa has exciting news: they're going to Victor's trial! Somehow, Rose, Lissa, and Christian are now set to testify, and Eddie will come along too–the field experience doesn't stop jut because Lissa's going off campus. A happy Rose apologizes to Dimitri–obviously he came through and got them invited. But it wasn't him. Huh? But if it wasn't him, then how did they get the opportunity to testify and the chance to do their part to send Victor Dashkov to prison?

On the flight to the Moroi Royal Court, Rose isn't feeling so good. She has a massive headache, her mod is nasty, and she sees shadows darting through the plane. Adrian notes her aura is black…_very_ black. Lissa tries to heal her headache with spirit, but it doesn't do any good. One at Court, though, Rose feels a bit better–but she's still troubled by the memory of the shadows.

Lissa is called before Queen Tatiana. In the past, the queen has made it quite clear that Lissa shamed her family name by running away from St. Vlad's, and Lissa is nervous about what she might say this time. She asks Rose to watch through the bond for moral support. Even if she can't be there in person, Lissa will still feel better knowing she's there in spirit.

Today, Tatiana is a bit more gracious and curious about seeing Lissa's spirit ability in action. Since Victor's on trial for forcing Lissa to use her rare ability to help heal his disease, her previously secret abilities are no longer secret. Queen Tatiana has Lissa demonstrate her mysterious and intriguing magic by bring a plant back to life–and is very impressed by what she sees. Impressing the queen is _not_ an easy feat, and Lissa (and Rose, through the bond) is thrilled.

Feeling that Lissa is doing just fine on her own, Rose breaks the bond and decides to go out exploring the grounds. She meets up with Eddie and Christian, who are with a familiar face–her former nemesis, Mia Rinaldi. After their traumatic experience in Spokane, as well as losing her mother, Mia left St. Vlad's and moved to Court to be with her father. Mia's since made friends with guardians here and is learning to fight hand-to-hand combat. Since the kidnapping, Rose thinks Mia has changed for the better. However, she can't say the same for herself. Rose feels that she's worse off now than she was before–to her, the constant dark moods seem to be proof of this.

The four of them being together after all they experienced is not easy–it only makes them think of Mason.

Soon, they're joined by Lissa and Adrian. Christian asks if the meeting with the queen helped clue her in on who got them the invite to the trial.

It certainly did. It was Adrian. As Tatiana's favorite great-nephew, he was bale to convince the queen that they needed to be there. And he didn't do it for Lissa…he did it for Rose. This generous gesture surprises her deeply.

"_I just thought…"_

_I couldn't finish. I'd thought Dimitri would be the one who came through for me, the one who–despite what he said–could make almost anything happen. But he hadn't._

_"Thought what?" Adrian prompted._

_"Nothing." With much effort, I managed to utter the next words. "Thank you for helping us."_

_"Oh my God," he said. "A kind word from Rose Hathaway. I can die a happy man."_

_**-Page 174**_

Mia gives Rose a note she was told to deliver. It's from Victor Dashkov, and it's a taunt that he intends to share stories of Rose and Dimitri's forbidden romance escapades, thanks to his lust-charmed necklace, in court–something that would get both of them in _serious_ trouble.

She shares this unsettling news with Dimitri. He makes a quick phone call to a contact he knows will be able to get them in to see Victor.

When they arrive at the Court's prison facilities, seeing Victor for the first time since he was imprisoned at St. Vlad's after Lissa's kidnapping makes Rose's skin crawl.

Compared to how sickly he'd looked before, now he appears young and healthy–but it's unlikely to last. Frequent healings from Lissa would have been required to keep his disease permanently at bay. For now, though, he's in good health to face his trial.

Victor is delighted at the chance to taunt Rose and Dimitri in person. The question is, what does he want from them? But Victor isn't really interested in petty things like revenge. He has his sights set on higher aspirations: revolution. There's been a lot of unrest building in the Moroi community, with people clamoring for a more forward-thinking government. And Victor would think that Rose of all people would be interested in overthrowing a government that holds on to archaic traditions like the virtual enslavement of the dhampir race. He even believes there's someone she knows who would be the perfect person to spearhead this revolution–Lissa. With her compulsion and spirit magic, nothing would be impossible if she was in a position of power.

The conversation ends when Victor threatens to discuss Dimitri and Rose's relationship, especially pertaining to the lust charm, and the normally controlled Dimitri offers up his own veiled threats. If Victor tries to ruin Rose, he's ruining his chance to get Lissa to help him with his rebellion fantasies.

_"And it'll all be pointless anyway, because you won't stay alive long enough in prison to stage your grand plans. You aren't the only one with connections."_

_My breath caught a little. Dimitri brought so many things to my life: love, comfort, and instruction. I got used to him sometimes that I forgot just how dangerous he could be. As he stood there, tall and threatening while he glared down at Victor, I felt a chill run down my spine. I remembered how when I had first come to the Academy, people had said Dimitri was a god. In this moment, he looked it._

_**-Page 188**_

When they leave, Dimitri seems shaken by the confrontation. Rose wonders if he meant what he said. Would he really have Victor killed?

_"I'd do a lot of things to protect you, Roza."_

_My heart pounded. He only used "Roza" when he was feeling particularly affectionate toward me._

_**-Page 189**_

THE TRIAL

When Victor is brought into the courtroom the next day, Rose can feel Lissa's fear through the bond. It's the first time her friend has seen the man since he kidnapped her and forced her to heal him with spirit.

Witnesses are called to testify against Victor, including Dimitri. The tense part is when he speaks about the lust charm–after all, he can't exactly admit about the _lust_ part. Instead, he says the charm made Rose attack him (not _that_ far from the truth, really), which delayed them from getting help for Lissa. It's obvious to Rose that lying on the stand is difficult for Dimitri, but there's no way around it.

After Christian testifies, it's Rose's turn. She does her best to brush over the "attack" charm and tries to ignore Victor's knowing smirk.

Lissa's account as Victor's victim is the most moving–and she even works in a little spirit-induced charisma to gain everyone's sympathy as she painfully relates how she was tortured by Victor's henchmen.

Victor takes the stand as if he doesn't have a car in the world. His defense is that he was dying and felt he had n choice but to use Lissa's magic to heal him. Worst of all, he takes no responsibility for convincing his own daughter Natalie to turn Strigoi to rescue him. As he says, Natalie made her own decisions, ones that ultimately led to her death.

_"Can you say that about everyone you used to meet your ends? Guardian Belikov and Miss Hathaway had no say in what you made them do."_

_Victor chuckled. "Well, that's a matter of opinion. I honestly don't think the minded. But if you have time after this case, Your Honor, you might want to consider trying a statutory rape case."_

_**-Page 199**_

Rose is stunned, but luckily, no one believes him, thinking he's just trying to shift focus off himself. Looks like he'd just wanted to tease them. Evil jerk.

The queen delivers her verdict: Victor's found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Finally, Lissa can move on from her ordeal and feel safe again.

Adrian gives Rose a congratulatory hug in public (one that will lead the queen to want to chat with her later). But first, Tatiana wants to see Lissa and offer the Last Dragomir a chance to come to live at Court after graduation and attend the nearby Lehigh University. Lissa graciously accepts the generous offer.

Then it's Rose's turn. She expects that she'll be told, as Lissa's future guardian, that she'll have to be extra careful of the princess at the university, but that's not the subject at hand. The queen wants Rose to stop the affair she's having with Adrian.

Say what?

_"Um, Your Majesty…there's some kind of mistake. There's nothing going on between Adrian and me."_

_"Do you think I'm an idiot?" she asked,_

_Wow. That was an opening._

_"No, Your Majesty."_

_**-Page 207**_

The queen assumes Rose is a "cheap dhampir girl" looking to run off with a rich Moroi lord. And Rose's former party-girl reputation doesn't exactly help matters. Tatiana even brings up Rose's mother, Janine, who was once involved with a Moroi named Ibrahim–but even _she_ learned that Mori men don't marry dhampir girls. They just play with them. That's when the queen unleashes the greatest threat in her arsenal: if Rose doesn't end things with Adrian, Tatiana will ensure that she isn't assigned as Lissa's guardian after graduation.

The queen's plans are very clear. She wants Adrian and Lissa to have an arranged marriage that will help further the Dragomir line. The princess's current relationship with Christian is unacceptable. Thanks to his parents' decision to become Strigoi, his being royal is irrelevant.

Wow. This is info Rose definitely isn't ready to share with the others, not until she has time to process it herself.

A GLAIMPSE AT THE FUTURE

While they're waiting for the flight back to St. Vlad's, Lissa takes Rose to the spa. Since Rose uses her hands so much to punch things, a manicure sounds like total luxury. While there, Rose meets Ambrose, a to-die-for hot guy who sure isn't like any other dhampir she's ever met–by the bite mark on his neck, it's obvious he's a male blood whore. That is _so_ not normal. But Ambrose is very happy with his choices–and they _are_ choices, unlike Rose, who never really had a say in what she's become and where her future will lead.

Speaking of the future, Ambrose, who's also rumored to be the queen's secret lover, takes the girls to see his fortune-telling aunt, Rhonda, so they can get a tarot-card reading.

Lissa's told her life is about to change in ways that, while difficult, will "_ultimately illuminate the world_." Sounds pretty cool.

Rose is told that she will "_destroy that which is undead_."

_Lame_. She already knows that. She's training to be a guardian, after all. What a stupid fortune!

When Dimitri comes to retrieve the girls for the flight, he too is given a little insight on his future. He's told: "_You will lose what yo value most, so treasure it while you can_."

It's an ominous reading, and that one will prove true all too soon…

DESCENDING DARKNESS

One the flight back to the Academy, Rose is again plagued by a headache and shadowy forms. Due to inclement weather, the plane is diverted to a nearby airport. When they land, Rose's world explodes. The pain in her head becomes so intense, it feels like her skull is being ripped open.

She sees ghostly faces–many of whom she recognizes as victims of Strigoi massacres–and they're reaching out to her with pale, shining hands. They want something from her. They're trying to tell her what it is, but they can't speak. There's a growing patch of blankness, and Rose instinctively knows it's the entrance to the world of death–she died in a car crash, but Lissa brought her back. She shouldn't be alive. This–_this_ is where she's supposed to go.

She starts screaming and screaming. Mason appears, and she begs him to make the others leave her alone. She can't get away–they're everywhere and they're reaching for her. Finally, Rose can't take it anymore, and she passes out from the fear and pain.

When she wakes, she's in the school clinic, and everybody's worried about her. Finally she tells them the truth: she's been seeing ghosts, including Mason.

As predicted, no one–her friends or the school officials–believes her. It seems clear to the school doctor that her visions are a result of post-traumatic stress. Witnessing Mason's murder and then killing the Strigoi responsible must have taken their toll on her. Obviously, her recovery has been hindered by fighting the "fake" Strigoi during the field experience sessions.

It's suggested that she drop the field experience entirely, but Rose doesn't like this suggestion at all–she needs to pass to graduate. Dimitri, deeply concerned with Rose's well-bring but also familiar with her stubborn streak, suggests she take part in the testing part-time. She's also to see a counselor.

Rose is grateful Dimitri stepped in and helped, but she doesn't realize quite how upset he was to see her in such a distress.

_"Rose," he said, the pain in his voice making my heart stop, "this shouldn't have been the first time I heard about this! Why didn't you tell me? Do you know what it was like? Do you know what it was like for me to see you like that and not know what was happening? Do you know how scared I was?"_

_I was stunned, both from his outburst and our proximity. I swallowed, unable to speak at first. There was so much on his face, so many emotions. I couldn't recall the last time I'd seen that much of him on display. It was wonderful and frightening at the same time. I then said the stupidest thing possible._

_"You're not scared of anything."_

_"I'm scared of lots of things. I was scared for you." He released me, and I stepped back. There was still passion and worry written all over him._

_**-Pages 253-254**_

She didn't tell him about the ghosts because he wouldn't have believed her. He _still_ doesn't believe her. But it makes sense to her that she's the only one who can see the ghostly visions–she's _shadow-kissed_. Because she died, she has a connection to the world of the dead. Killing the Strigoi has strengthened that connection.

And this experience has strengthened Rose Dimitri's relationship. This has shown Rose how much he cares about her–and it's not just the concern of a tutor for his student. It's the way deeper and more powerful than that.

When they part, Rose realizes she forgot overnight bag and heads back to the clinic to retrieve it. There, she spots another Moroi student, Abby Badica, who's been beaten up by the mysterious school bully. To get to the truth, Rose pretends she already knows what's going on, and Abby begs Rose to "keep things quiet until everything's set." If the rest of the "Mână" find out she's at the clinic for medical attention, she'll get in trouble. She tells Rose that she wants the chance to "try again."

When the doctor arrives, Rose is blocked from getting more information, but now she definitely has a clue who's behind the recent royal-bashing–they're called the Mână.

Rose starts to guard Christian again as she heads to class–and Adrian's hanging around, too. While Christian continues to fight his jealousy, Lissa teaches Adrian how to bring plants back to life. Adrian also shares what he's learned about their mysterious mutual ability. There are stories about "super compulsion" being used to make others live through their worst nightmares, kind of like a vivid hallucination. Sounds pretty scary, actually.

As they walk back to their dorms, Rose suggests to Adrian that he be careful of Christian's rising jealousy toward him and Lissa.

_"What?" he asked in mock astonishment. "Doesn't he know my heart belongs to you?"_

_"It does not. And no, he's still worried about it, despite what I've told him."_

_"You know, I bet if we started making out right now, it would make him feel better."_

_"If you touch me," I said pleasantly, "I'll provide you with the opportunity to see if you can heal yourself."_

_**-Page 270**_

Adrian confides that she saw something weird earlier when Lissa used her magic to demonstrate bringing the plant back to life–something only he, as a spirit user, could see. Her aura dimmed. But then that darkness didn't just disappear…it went into Rose. Lissa isn't having any side effects from her magic anymore because Rose is absorbing her darkness! _And_ her madness, which, to Adrian could easily explain the ghosts.

It makes a strange sort of sense and makes Rose think of St. Vladimir and his shadow-kissed guardian, Anna. Rose goes to the chapel to ask the priest what ultimately happened to Anna so she can get a sense of what she might expect. The answer isn't very reassuring: Anna committed suicide.

When Mason appears before Rose again, she has to ask him directly: Is she really going crazy? Or is he really there?

All she can get him to confirm–he's only able to communicate with nods or shakes of his head–is she's _not_ going crazy, he's not looking for revenge, and he's having trouble finding peace. There's another reason he's there, but he can't get the information across to Rose no matter how hard he tries. And then he disappears again.

Counseling sessions don't help much. Rose tells the counselor about the problems with her mother, the guilt over Mason's death, and her fixation on unattainable guys. (This subject is one of the counselor's favorites. Does she only pick guys she can't have so it will always ensure she'll stay dedicated to Lissa? This is _so_ not helpful.)

Rose definitely has issues – she doesn't need a counselor to tell her _that_.

Trying to focus on something else, Rose questions Adrian about the _Mână_. She learns the word is Romanian for "the hand," and it's a secret society found at a lot of schools. Apparently, its membership consists of royals who band together to feel special and exclusive. Rose remembers Jesse and Ralf inviting Christian to their group. Could this be related?

Rose is still disturbed by the counselor's insistence that she intentionally falls for guys who are attainable as a way to ensure she'll always be around to protect Lissa. Adrian's pretty unattainable since it's obvious to her he just wants her body, not a real relationship. She decides to test the theory on him and see just how interested in him she could get.

_"Use compulsion to make me want to kiss you– except you have to promise not to actually kiss me."_

_"That's pretty weird–and when I say something's weird, you know it's serious."_

_"Please."_

_He sighed and then focused his eyes right on me. It was like drowning, drowning in seas of green. There was nothing in the world except for those eyes._

_"I want to kiss you, Rose," he said softly. "And I want you to want me too."_

_Every aspect of his body–his lips, his hands, his scent–suddenly overpowered me. I felt warm all over. I wanted him to kiss me with every ounce of my being. There was nothing in life I wanted more than that kiss. I tilted my face up toward his, and he leaned down. I could practically taste his lips._

_"Do you want to?" he asked, voice still like velvet._

_Did I ever. Everything around me had blurred. Only his lips were in focus._

_"Yes."_

_**-Pages 291-292**_

Holding true to her request, he doesn't actually kiss her. And she's proven something very important to herself–she's definitely in love.

With _Dimitri_.

Adrian is incredibly sexy and charming. There's no doubt that Rose is attracted to him. But even under compulsion, it hadn't been the electric, all-encompassing feeling she had had with Dimitri–that feeling like they were bound together by forces way bigger than both of them combined.

With Dimitri, it's really love, not just a trick her mind is playing on her.

But in her heart, she already knew that.

Rose takes Christian to another feeding session. The human feeder is definitely crazy–giving so much blood to a vampire will do that to a person–but her insights are surprisingly helpful. She thinks if Rose has seen a ghost on campus, then there must be something wrong with the wards–the magical barrier that surrounds the school is designed to keep Strigoi out, which means that they should also fend off the dead.

It suddenly makes sense. It's why she didn't have a ghost problem at Court. The wards there are very strong. But on the plane and at the other airport, there were _no_ wards–which could explain the onslaught of ghosts. If this is true, if there's something wrong with the wards at school, then Rose isn't the only one in danger.

Rose approaches Dimitri with this disturbing info, but he assures her the wards are checked daily and guardians would notice a problem.

Maybe she just has to face facts: the only one who believes her is a demented human feeder. She's going crazy. For real.

She shares what she's learned about Anna and how she's scared that she'll suffer a similar fate. All Dimitri can do is reassure her that she's going to be okay. She's wild and impulsive, but she'd strong. He's certain she and Anna won't share the same fate.

This moment between them only intensifies their feelings for each other. If they're trying to avoid the many complications of their forbidden relationship, they're not helping matters right now. But it just feels so right.

THE HAND

Through the bond, Rose gets the conformation about the _Mână_ she's been looking for when Jesse and Ralf approach Lissa about joining. They want every royal Moroi name represented, and Lissa is the last Dragomir. Lissa really doesn't like the sound of the elite club, though. Sounds snobby to her. They explain it's more important than that; it's to help get their voices out politically–keeping the government from making "stupid" decisions and making the queen and everybody else see the _Mână_'s way, no matter what.

Sounds kind of like compulsion. And compulsion is supposed to be forbidden. While Lissa will use it when necessary, manipulating the minds of others against their will is morally wrong.

Jesse and Ralf disagree. Also, it's not like Lissa is one to talk. They've heard rumors that she is particularly good at compelling people–how else could she have gotten away with it so much? The boys don't back off until Eddie steps in as Lissa's guardian. Eddie's not afraid of kicking a little Moroi butt, and Rose is totally okay with that.

Speaking of kicking butt, Rose finally gets to do it when they're "attacked" again. She's doing great, taking down two guardians with her practice stake. Even though she's only been allowed to practice part-time–and she's being gently eased back into things after her breakdown on the plane–the "Strigoi" are no match for Rose. That is, until she sees the third "Strigoi": Dimitri.

Rose hesitates. This is the guy she loves standing in front of her. Can she fight him? Can she win? After a momentary hesitation, she rushes toward him. Even though they're easily matched after all their practice sessions, Rose manages to "stake" him successfully.

_Behind me, people were clapping, but all I noticed was Dimitri. Our gazes were locked. I was still straddling him, my hands pressed against his chest. Both of us were sweaty and breathing heavily. His eyes looked at me with pride–and a hell of a lot more._

_**-Page 326**_

Luckily, no one else notices the intense heat between the two. Rose is praised for passing the test perfectly.

Feeling good, she cleans up and heads to the cafeteria…where there's a _big_ problem escalating. Somebody has told Christian about Adrian and Lissa's "arranged marriage," and he assumes it's been Adrian's plan all along to steal Lissa away from him.

Christian is hurt and insane with jealousy. He wants to cause some pain of his own–and he's got the fire magic to help back him up. Somebody's going to be seriously injured if Rose can't get this situation under control. She has Adrian use compulsion to calm Christian down and, luckily, it works.

Why didn't Lissa stop this confrontation from happening? Where is she? Rose checks the bond and finds that Lissa is in great distress. She's in pain–and screaming.

On the other side of campus, members of the _Mână_, led by Jesse and Ralf, are forcibly subjecting Lissa to their initiation test. She is to use her compulsion to stop her attackers, who are using their own powers to throw rocks at her, attempt to drown her, and–just like Victor's henchmen did–use air magic to try to suffocate her.

Rose races there and starts kicking ass, furious at the group of spoiled Moroi students. Most of them scatter at the sight of her.

But it's Lissa who the remaining _Mână _members should be worried about. Now unhinged by the torture and reminded of what Victor's henchmen did to her, Lissa turns her attention to Jesse. He should be careful what he wished for. He wanted to see Lissa's compulsion at work? How about some super-compulsion? She traps him in a nightmare where spiders are crawling on him. Lissa's overwhelmed by darkness, unable to stop herself from hurting Jesse.

Rose knows what she has to do: absorb some of that darkness into herself. But when she does, the darkness manifests itself as uncontrollable rage. She starts to beat the life out of Jesse, and it takes Eddie pulling her back to stop her from accidentally killing him.

When other guardians arrive to get everything under control, Dimitri takes a still enraged Rose away from the scene before she can cause any more damage. They go to the cabin in the woods where her dark mood can be dealt with privately.

He's desperately worried about her–this looks pretty bad. But slowly she's able to pull herself out of the darkness, leaving her with the horrible fear that she's destined for the same fate as Anna.

_"It won't happen to you. You're too strong. You'll fight it, just like you did this time."_

_"I only did because you were here." He wrapped his arms around me, and I buried my face in his chest. "I can't do it by myself," I whispered._

_"You can," he said. There was a tremulous note in his voice. "You're strong–you're so, so strong. It's why I love you."_

_**-Page 348**_

Their feelings for each other, which have been building steadily to this point, finally spill over. There's nothing they can do but give in to it. They kiss, and this time there's no pulling back. When they make love, Rose knows it's right–it's perfect–because they're in love with each other.

Afterward, Dimitri assures her that he won't let anything bad happen to her. His words are both wonderful and dangerous, but she makes him the same promises. They're in love, and the world seems golden and wonderful.

But it's not to last.

MASON'S WARNING

Mason's ghost appears to Rose as they head back to the school. He has a message, and this time he's finally able to put it into words: _"They're…coming…"_

It's Strigoi. They've breached the wards.

Rose and Dimitri are attacked, but Dimitri's able to stake the Strigoi. He sends Rose back to campus with a message for the other guardians: _buria_.

She doesn't argue. She runs, scared to death that Dimitri's going to get killed. She relays the message Dimitri gave her: _Buria_. Russian for "storm," it's a signal of a Strigoi attack. The guardians don't hesitate.

Because of the field experience, Lissa's dorm is mostly protected, but the same can't be said for the elementary dorm, where Jill lives. The campus is under immediate lockdown. Rose is given a stake and told to watch over the kids.

She checks in on Lissa through the bond–she's safe, at least, and with Eddie and Adrian. But where's Christian? Even though she's defying orders, she heads out to make sure he's okay. When she finds him, she senses Strigoi nearby–she can sense them now too, just as she can ghosts.

Rose fights hard and stakes one. But another gets the upper hand and she's certain she'll die–but then he burst into flames. Thank you, Christian!

Christian thinks that the two of them make a good team. They could fight the Strigoi together and help protect the school. It goes against everything she's been taught about keeping Moroi safe, but it makes total sense. Together they kick Strigoi butt on the way back to the elementary campus. Total badasses!

One blonde Strigoi seems to know her. He's familiar with Lissa too. He'd love to be the one to take down the last Dragomir. He slips away before she manages to stake him – it's one kill she'll later have wished she'd made.

Rose is beyond relieved when Dimitri returns battered but not dead. They survived! But the bad news comes quickly. The Strigoi killed many in their attack, and they also carried some away. And one of those kidnapped is Eddie.

No…it's not possible. Rose lost Mason; she can't lose Eddie too.

The wards around the school are reinforced, and more guardians have been called in to help deal with the aftermath of the attack. One is Rose's mother. Rose tries to get her plan across to Janine–and she does have a plan. In order to rescue the Moroi, they need to know where they are–and Rose thinks she knows how they can get that information.

She takes Dimitri with her to the school's gates. Since the wards have been strengthened, Mason's ghost is stuck outside now. Dimitri's skeptical since he can't see anything, but he's willing to trust Rose's instincts.

Outside the gates, Mason appears to Rose. Using a map, he helps pinpoint where the Strigoi have taken their victims–caves five miles away. Since it's now daylight, the Strigoi are trapped, which means there's still a chance to get to them and rescue the others.

It's good enough information to launch a rescue mission.

Dimitri takes Rose for a walk to try to calm her down while they wait for everything to be organized. She's certain he's going to lecture her on how their being together was wrong and how it can't happen again. But he most definitely doesn't feel that way.

_"Even before the Strigoi attack, as I watched all the problems you were struggling with, I realized how much you meant to me. It changed everything. I was worried about you–so worried. You have no idea. And it became useless to try to act like I could ever put any Moroi life above yours. It's not going to happen, no matter how wrong others say it is. And so I decided that something I have to deal with. Once I made that decision…there was nothing to hold us back." He hesitated, seeming to replay his words as he brushed my hair from my face. "Well, to hold me back. I'm speaking for myself. I don't mean to act like I know exactly why you did it."_

_"I did it because I love you," I said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. and really, it was._

_**-Page 398**_

He wants to be with her after graduation and will do anything to make that happen.

In the middle of the rescue mission and all this chaos, Rose has a glimmer of hope for the future. For a minute, she lets herself think it might all work out perfectly. Rose can have Dimitri _and_ Lissa in her life. She doesn't have to give up one or the other. It's everything she wanted.

RESCUE AND LOSS

A large team of fifty guardians, novices, and Moroi travel to the caves. Dimitri and Janine are part of the first team to go inside.

It's not long before sounds of fighting reach those waiting tensely outside. Some rescued Moroi and dhampirs emerge, but Dimitri's team gets trapped!

Reinforcements have to go in to help. Rose is among them, and her ability to sense Strigoi proves extremely helpful. She fights with everything she's got on her way to where Dimitri and the others are trapped behind a collapsed wall.

With Rose helping to fight off the Strigoi–which distracts them–those trapped, including Dimitri, are able to free themselves from their position. Together they head out of the caves. It's a huge maze, with Strigoi hiding behind every corner. Overwhelmed and outnumbered, they decide to retreat and head back behind the wards since the sun is setting, which will mean the Strigoi can emerge from their dark, protective caves. But there's good news for Rose: Eddie's among those successfully rescued.

Just before they can get out, another group of Strigoi attack and Dimitri is taken by surprise. It's an attack that will change everything.

_It was the blond Strigoi. The one who had spoken to me in the battle._

_He grabbed Dimitri and pulled him to the ground. They grappled, strength against strength, and then I saw those fangs sink into Dimitri's neck. The red eyes flicked up and made contact with my own._

_I heard another scream–this time it was my own._

_**-Page 413**_

Rose is forced to flee the caves in the ensuing chaos. But the second she emerges, she's desperate to go back to Dimitri, to save him, to be near him, to do anything but stand helpless while the man she loves more than anything in the world is only a few hundred feet away. Her mother tells her it's too late–Dimitri's dead.

AFTERMATH

It's torture waiting for the chance to go back to check the caves. Rose's relentless grief is enough to clue Lissa in to something she should have recognized a long time ago: Rose and Dimitri are in love.

When they finally head back to retrieve the dead, Dimitri's body isn't among them. That can only mean a couple of things, but none are good.

Rose crosses the wards once more so she can speak to Mason's ghost. What she learns shatters her world. Dimitri is neither alive nor dead now.

He's been turned into a Strigoi.

Rose's heart and her world shatter.

Dimitri's tarot card reading from Rhonda was that he "will lose what you value most."

Rose thought it might be _her_…or it might be Dimitri's _life_…

But it was his _soul_ that he lost. He's not dead, but he's gone, replaced by a monster. It's the last thing Dimitri ever would have wanted.

A week passes, and there have been no classes since the attack. The school is in deep mourning for those lost in the attack. After the memorial services, Rose seeks Adrian out–she needs to talk to him about something very important.

She needs money–a lot of it. She's leaving the Academy. She has things she needs to do, and graduating isn't one of them anymore. She isn't willing to go into further detail about her plans than that.

When she flirts to get what she wants, Adrian's hurt that she'd play on his feelings for her. It's not fair. He knows that she's in love with Dimitri, not him.

She presses for the money–she doesn't want to talk about Dimitri; it hurts too much. Adrian decides that it might be good if Rose leaves. Maybe that's the only way she'll be able to get over Dimitri. Maybe if she's away from Lissa's aura, Rose can find a way to be happier…and stop seeing ghosts.

Fine. He's willing to give her the money she needs–but with one condition. When she returns, she has to agree to give him a chance romantically. Looks like Rose was wrong about him. Adrian isn't only interested in her body; he's interested in _her_.

She agrees, although right now she's only saying what it takes to get what she wants. After all she's lost, the last thing she can even think about is dating somebody else.

It's Rose's eighteenth birthday today, an important day–but one she doesn't meet with celebration. Being officially an adult means that she has the legal right to drop out of St. Vladimir's no matter what anyone else says. And that's exactly what she does.

As she's leaving through the Academy's gates, Lissa catches up to her, desperately trying to convince her friend not to leave. She knows that Rose is planning to do now–Lissa was present in the van during the shopping trip when Rose and Dimitri made the promise to each other if either was ever turned into a Strigoi. Rose is leaving St. Vlad's to find him…and kill him.

Even though it means leaving her best friend in the world, Rose tells her that this is something she has to do. She never wanted to have to choose between them, but it's come to this.

Mason appears briefly to her once more, before he is finally able to leave forever. He's found his peace. Rose needs to do the same.

_For the first time since his death, thinking about Mason no longer devastated me. I was sad and I really would miss him, but I knew he' moved on to something good–something really good. I no longer felt guilty._

_Turning away, I stared at the long road winding off ahead of me. I sighed. This trip might take a while._

_"Then start walking, Rose," I muttered to myself_

_I set off, off to kill the man I loved._

_**-Page 443**_

**POP QUIZ: SHADOW KISS**

Rose and Lissa weren't invited–or even told–about whose upcoming trial?

Who is assigned to be Lissa's guardian during the novices' field experience?

Where is the trial taking place?

How does Queen Tatiana want Lissa to demonstrate her spirit magic?

Deeming Lissa's relationship with Christian unacceptable, the queen wishes to arrange a marriage between the Dragomir princess and who?

Fill in the blank: _"You will lose what you value most, so _ it while you can."_

How did St. Vladimir's shadow-kissed guardian, Anna, die?

What is the name of the royal student secret society formed by Jesse and Ralf at St. Vlad's?

What word does Dimitri give Rose to tell the guardians to warn of a Strigoi attack?

Fill in the blank: _"I set off, off to kill the man I _."_

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**POP QUIZ ANSWERS**

Victor Dashkov

Eddie Castile

The Moroi Royal Court

By bringing a plant back to life

Adrian

Treasure

Suicide

The Mână

Buria

Loved


	5. Covens (The Cullen Coven)

**Author's Note: All characters, plotlines, and everything in between are created and owned by Stephenie Meyer. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement intended.**

**Chapter 4: Covens (The Cullen Coven)**

THE CULLEN COVEN

The Cullen coven, one of the largest stable vampire covens, is also one of the few that does not drink human blood. The Cullens call themselves "vegetarians" because they instead choose to drink the blood of animals, putting more value on human life than do most of their peers. They consider the Denali clan their cousins, as that coven shares a similar philosophy. Abstaining from human prey takes the competitive aspect out of the hunt, and as a result they are able to form stronger family bonds than traditional vampires.

The Cullens prefer to stay in one place as long as possible, choosing cloudy climates where they can go outside during the day without revealing their inhuman nature. But after six or seven years in one location, they are usually forced to move on, before their lack of aging is noticed. They own several residences so that they can return to places they have especially enjoyed – but only after enough time has passed that they won't be recognized as the same people who once lived there.

Each member of the coven maintains several well-intended identities, complete with the documents to support them, which allows the Cullens to establish themselves in new locations as necessary.

Each time the Cullens move, the relationships they claim to share with one another may shift, too. In one place, two members may pose as father and adopted son; in another, brothers, or uncle and nephew. Regardless, the bonds of love and respect between members of the coven are immutable.

The Cullen family began when Carlisle transformed Edward. They then traveled across the United States together, gradually adding other members to the coven. The family is currently made up of eight vampires – four of whom have supernatural abilities beyond those of a normal vampire – and a vampire hybrid, who also has psychic gifts.

Carlisle Cullen

**Name:** Carlisle Cullen

**Date of Birth:** Circa 1640

**Date of Transformation:** 1663, at approximately age 23

**Source of Transformation:** An ancient vampire living in the sewers of London

**Place of Origin:** London, England

**Hair Color:** Blond

**Eye Color:** Blue (human); gold/black (vampire)

**Height:** 6'2"

**Physical Description: **Carlisle has a well-toned medium frame, collar-length hair, and movie-star good looks. He has a slight English accent from his youth, although he can speak with a flawless American accent.

**Special Abilities: **He does not possess a quantifiable supernatural ability.

**Education/Occupation: **He has attended many universities, both as a student and as a professor. He has studied a variety of subjects, ranging from science to music, and typically works as a doctor.

**Hobbies: **He collects art and books.

**Vehicle: **A black Mercedes S55 AMG

**Family/Coven Relationships:** He is married to Esme Cullen and considers Edward Cullen, Rosalie Hale, Emmett Cullen, Alice Cullen, and Jasper Hale his children; Bella Cullen his daughter-in-law; and Renesmee Cullen his granddaughter.

**Personal History:**

Carlisle's father was his only family. His mother died giving birth to him, and he had no siblings.

An Anglican pastor, Carlisle's father was a crusader against evil, leading hunts through London and the surrounding areas for witches, werewolves, and vampires. Self-righteous and compassionless, Carlisle's father caused many innocent people to be burned.

When he grew too old, he put Carlisle in charge of these raids. However, Carlisle had a very different temperament. He was not as quick to see evil where there was none. He was smart and persistent, though, and he eventually discovered an actual coven of vampires living in the sewers. He gathered a group of hunters and they waited for darkness to fall, suspecting that this was when the vampires would come out.

When a thirsty vampire did emerge, he attacked the hunters. Two were killed are Carlisle was wounded. Knowing that anything infected by the monster would be burned, Carlisle hid himself in a nearby cellar. During the transformation he never cried out, despite the agony he felt. When it was finally over and he realized what he had become, he was horror-struck. He tried to destroy himself by jumping from great heights and attempting to drown himself. When these methods didn't work, he tried to starve himself to death.

A newborn vampire's thirst is overwhelming, but Carlisle found the strength to resist. Moths passed, and Carlisle, filled with self-loathing, kept to the loneliest places he could find, places where he wouldn't stumble across a human. He understood his willpower was weakening.

One night a herd of deer passed by and, crazed with thirst, Carlisle attacked without thinking. After feeding, he felt his strength and sense of self return, and he realized he could live without killing human beings. He would feed on animals, just as he always had, drinking their blood now instead of eating their flesh.

Knowing that his father would hate him no matter how he living his new life, Carlisle never returned home. He watched his father a few times from a distance but never made contact.

Carlisle had always been eager to learn, and now he had unlimited time. But night he studied music, science, and medicine in the universities of Europe. During his travels Carlisle encountered others of his kind. Most vampires Carlisle crossed paths with responded to his natural amicability; in this way he is a novelty among vampires.

While studying in Italy in the early 1700s, Carlisle was discovered by the Volturi, an ancient coven of vampires founded by Aro, Caius, and Marcus. The vampires of this coven were very different from the sewer-dwellers of London. They were refined and cultured, and Carlisle admired their civility. But Aro, Caius, and Marcus never stopped trying to change Carlisle's aversion to what they called his "natural food source," and Carlisle never stopped trying to persuade them of the value of his pro-human philosophy. Over time, a legend formed among the humans in Italy of a _stregoni benefici_, or "good vampire," who was the avowed enemy of evil vampires, though Carlisle was always on friendly terms with the Volturi. After about two decades in Italy, Carlisle decided to travel to the New World. He was growing increasingly lonely and longed to find other vampires who believed there was a life for them that didn't involve murder.

When Carlisle reached America, things didn't change for him the way he'd hoped. He didn't find other vampires like him. He was, however, able to begin a career in medicine. He felt that by saving human lives he could compensate in some measure for the existence of vampires.

Carlisle couldn't risk more than a cordial acquaintance with his coworkers, for fear of exposing what he was, and his enforced solitude and lack of intimacy pained him. So he began to deliberate creating a companion. However, he was reluctant to steal a life the way his had been stolen.

For decades he debated with himself about whether or not it was right to doom another to the life of a vampire. The plea of a dying woman, Elizabeth Masen, helped him make his decision. In 1918, Carlisle was working nights at a hospital in Chicago as an epidemic of Spanish influenza raged through the city. Elizabeth's husband died in the first wave of the epidemic, and her teenage son, Edward, managed to stay alive for a while longer. Carlisle was with Elizabeth on her last night. She begged him to save her son, intuiting that Carlisle was more than what he seemed. She died less than an hour later. Her son lay in the room with her, his own death imminent. The goodness and purity in Edward's face finally convinced Carlisle to take action. Carlisle bit Edward, effecting his transformation.

Both Carlisle and Edward were surprised to discover Edward's ability to read minds, but due to his experience with the Volturi, Carlisle quickly understood the phenomenon.

Carlisle and Edward began traveling together, using the cover story that Edward was the younger brother of Carlisle's late wife. In 1921, they moved to Ashland Wisconsin, and there the Cullen coven gained another member. While working in a local hospital, Carlisle was called to the bedside of a young woman grievously injured in a suicide attempt. Carlisle was surprised to recognize Esme Evenson, whom he had treated for a broken leg about ten years earlier, when she was a teenager. It was almost impossible for him to believe that that vivacious, beautiful girl had come to this tragic end. Carlisle knew he could not save her life through conventional methods.

Influenced by his memory of the happy girl Esme had been, Carlisle bit the dying woman and took her to the home he shared with Edward to wait for the transformation to be complete. When it was over, Carlisle apologized for what he had done, but Esme was not unhappy with the situation. She remembered their first meeting, too, and had always considered Carlisle her ideal of a gentleman. Carlisle and Esme soon feel in love and were married.

The coven's cover story now changed: Edward began to be introduced as Esme's brother. In many ways, however, Edward regarded Carlisle as his father and Esme as his mother. Carlisle now had more than the companion he'd longed for; he had a family.

Carlisle wasn't expecting the coven to get any bigger, but one night while on his way to work at a hospital in Rochester, New York, he discovered the nearly lifeless body of Rosalie Hale lying in the road. She had been beaten, sexually assaulted, and left for dead. Struck by the waste of a beautiful young life, hoping in the back of his mind that one day she might be a companion for Edward.

Two years later, Rosalie had only reluctantly assimilated to vampire life. The relationship Carlisle had hoped would spark between her and Edward hadn't happened. So when Rosalie carried the dying Emmett McCarty to Carlisle and begged Carlisle to change him, Carlisle did as she asked. Rosalie wanted a companion of her choosing, and Carlisle felt he could make amends to her in this way.

At this point Carlisle and his family moved to Washington State, west of the Olympic Peninsula. To his surprise, he discovered a local Native American tribe who had the ability to transform into wolves. The Quileutes had previous experience with vampires, whom the called the cold ones, and they considered it their sacred duty to protect humans from them.

Unwilling to harm the werewolves, Carlisle brokered a treaty with the leader of the pack, Ephraim Black, utilizing Edward's mind-reading abilities to communicate. The treaty established boundary lines for both the Cullens and the Quileutes. The Cullens agreed never to hurt a human, which included never transforming a human into a vampire, since the Quileutes considered transformation the same as killing. Both the vampires and the werewolves promised to keep the true nature of the other secret from humans.

The family continued to move when necessary, and in Denali, Alaska, Carlisle found what he'd been looking for when he set off for America – a coven of vampires who shared his philosophy and drank only animal blood. The two covens ended up close friends, viewing each other as extended family.

The Cullen family grew when they were joined by Alice Brandon and Jasper Whitlock, who had been traveling together as a couple. Since the family was now quite large, a new cover story was devised. Edward, Alice, and Emmett were now said to be adopted children of Carlisle and Esme. Jasper and Rosalie, who looked like twins, were passed off as Esme's twin orphaned cousins.

Eventually, the Cullen family returned to Washington State, this time to Forks, somewhat north of their previous location. Carlisle took a job at Forks Hospital and become well regarded in the community as a doctor and a citizen.

**Famous Quotes:**

-_"I look at my…_son_. His strength, his goodness, the brightness that shines out of him…How could there not be more for one such as Edward?" _New Moon, Chapter 2

-_"I've never been to veterinarian school." _Eclipse, Chapter 25

-_"I can imagine what you think of me for that. But I can't ignore her will. It wouldn't be right to make such a choice for her, to force her." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 12

-_"She hasn't gone for his throat even once." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 22

-_"It's an interesting twist. Like she's doing the exact opposite of what you can." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 34

Edward Anthony Masen Cullen

**Name: **Edward Anthony Masen Cullen

**Date of Birth: **June 20, 1901

**Date of Transformation: **1918, at age 17

**Source of Transformation: **Carlisle Cullen

**Place of Origin: **Chicago, Illinois

**Hair Color: **Bronze

**Eye Color: **Green (human); gold/black (vampire)

**Height: **6'2"

**Physical Description: **Edward is thin and lanky but muscular. He has untidy bronze hair and boyish looks.

**Special Abilities: **He can read the thoughts of anyone in close proximity to him, with the exception of Bella Cullen.

**Education/Occupation: **He has two medical degrees but has never worked as a doctor. His other graduate degrees are in literature, mathematics, law, mechanical engineering, several languages, art history, and international business. Edward owns his family's house in Chicago, and about every fifty years or so, he "inherits" his family fortune from himself.

**Hobbies: **He loves music – he plays a variety of instruments, sings, and has an extensive vinyl and CD collection. He also enjoys collecting cars.

**Vehicles: **A silver Volvo S60R and a silver Aston Martin V12 Vanquish.

**Family/Coven Relationships: **He is married to Bella Cullen and has a daughter, Renesmee Cullen. He is the natural son of Edward and Elizabeth Masen, and the "adopted" son of Carlisle and Esme Cullen. He thinks of himself as a brother to Alice and Emmett Cullen, as well as Rosalie and Jasper Hale.

**Personal History:**

Edward was born to Edward and Elizabeth Masen on June 20, 1901. He was their only child. His father, a successful lawyer, provided Edward with many advantages, including music lessons and the opportunity to attend private school; however, although his father provided for Edward in material ways, he was emotionally distant and often away from home on business. This absence was made up for by Edward's close relationship with his mother; he was the center of her life.

Edward excelled at his studies and became as accomplished pianist. As he grew older, Edward became enamored of the life of a soldier. World War I raged during most of his adolescence, and Edward dreamed of the day he could join the battle. His mother's greatest fear was that she would lose Edward in the war. Every night she prayed that it would end before her only son turned eighteen and was old enough to enlist.

Nine months before his eighteenth birthday, the Spanish influenza hit Chicago, infecting all of Edward's family. Gravely ill, they were treated in the hospital here Dr. Carlisle Cullen worked. Edward's father quickly succumbed to the disease. On her deathbed and fearing fir her son's life, Elizabeth Masen begged Dr. Cullen to do what was necessary to save her son. Somehow she seemed to know Dr. Cullen had a supernatural means to save Edward.

Moved by Elizabeth Masen's plea and having already thoroughly considering the idea of creating a companion, Carlisle took Edward from the hospital late that night, carrying the unconscious boy to his home. There Edward became the first human Carlisle changed into a vampire.

Edward firmed a deep bond with Carlisle, who became a father to him, gaining Edward's trust and love the way his natural father never had. It was Carlisle who first realized that Edward possessed mind-reading abilities; he noticed Edward answering questions that Carlisle had not asked aloud. Edward had always had a knack for reading people; after his transformation, this ability blossomed into a true psychic talent.

Edward's new family gained a member when Carlisle transformed Esme to save her life after her suicide attempt. Edward was still young enough to appreciate a mother's care, and Esme gave it to him. Edward grew to love his new "father" and "mother." But as much as he respected Carlisle's ideals and valued Esme's gentleness and tenderness, he couldn't help questioning what it meant to be a vampire.

After almost a decade of living with Carlisle, Edward decided to leave his new parents and experience an alternate style of vampire life. He began drinking human blood instead of animal blood. Rather than become a true villain in his own estimation, he became a vigilante. Edward used his mind-reading abilities to target serious criminals as his victims – murderers, rapists, abusers, pedophiles, and the like. For his first victim, he tracked down Charles Evenson, Esme's abusive ex-husband. In the end, though, he couldn't accept taking so many human lives, no matter the justification, and in 1931 he returned home to Carlisle and Esme and their way of life.

Edward knew from hearing their thoughts that Carlisle and Esme were sometimes concerned that he had no romantic love in his life. When Carlisle transformed Rosalie Hale and brought her into the family in 1933, Edward knew that Carlisle and Esme hoped she and Edward would become a couple. But as stunningly beautiful as Rosalie was physically, Edward was not attracted to her somewhat shallow and self-absorbed mind. The feeling was mutual. Edward and Rosalie always treated each other as brother and sister, and were not always on the best of terms.

When the Cullen family lived in Alaska, Edward had another opportunity to find romance, this time with Tanya, the leader of the Denali coven, a group that also practiced a "vegetarian" lifestyle. Though Tanya was interested in Edward, he did not return that interest. It wasn't until the Cullen family returned to Forks in 2003 that anyone captured Edward's attention. There Edward met a human girl named Bella Swan. Bella was markedly different from any other person he'd ever met in two impossible-to-overlook way: First, her blood "sang" for him the way no other human's had; second, her mind was the first he'd encountered that was entirely closed to his mind-reading abilities.

**Famous Quotes:**

-_"On the contrary, I find you very difficult to read." _Twilight, Chapter 2

-_"No blood, no foul." _Twilight, Chapter 3

-_"What if I'm not a superhero? What if I'm the bad guy?" _Twilight, Chapter 5

-_"Honestly – I've seen corpses with better color. I was concerned that I might have to avenge your murder."_ Twilight, Chapter 5

-_"I've decided that as long as I was going to hell, I might as well do it thoroughly." _Twilight, Chapter 5

-_"Your number was up the first time I met you." _Twilight, Chapter 8

-_"You aren't concerned about my diet?" _Twilight, Chapter 9

-_"Hadn't you noticed? I'm breaking _all_ the rules now." _Twilight, Chapter 10

-_"_Be safe_."_ Twilight, Chapter 12

-_"Yes, you are _exactly_ my brand of heroin." _Twilight, Chapter 13

-_"I may not be a human, but I am a man." _Twilight, Chapter 14

-_"It will be as if I'd never existed."_ New Moon, Chapter 3

-_"Amazing. Carlisle was right." _New Moon, Chapter 20

-_"Marry me first." _New Moon, Chapter 24

-_"Well, I'm nearly a hundred and ten. It's time I settled down." _New Moon, Chapter 24

-_"I was all braced for the wrath that was going to put grizzlies to shame, and this is what I get? I should infuriate you more often." _Eclipse, Chapter 8

-_"I was _that boy_, who would have – as soon as I discovered that you were what I was looking for – gotten down on one knee and endeavored to secure your hand. I would have wanted you for eternity, even when the word didn't have quite the same connotations."_ Eclipse, Chapter 12

-_"The way you regard me is ludicrous." _Eclipse, Chapter 19

-_"Would you _please_ stop trying to take your clothes off_?" Eclipse, Chapter 20

-_"I lived through an entire twenty-four hours thinking that you were dead, Bella. That changed the way I look at a lot of things." _Eclipse, Chapter 21

-_"But if I had been able to take your place last night, it would not have made the top ten of the _best_ nights of my life. Dream about that." _Eclipse, Chapter 23

-_"I just beheaded and dismembered a sentient creature not twenty yards from you. That doesn't _bother_ you?" _Eclipse, Chapter 25

-_"I love you. I want you. Right now." _Eclipse, Chapter 27'

-_"You're awfully small to be so hugely irritating." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 4

-_"I'm not ready for you to kill me yet, Jacob Black. You'll have to have a little patience." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 9

-_"I am truly sorry for this pain this causes you, Jacob. Though you hate me, I must admit that I don't feel the same about you. I think of you as a…a brother in many ways. A comrade in arms, at the very least. I regret your suffering more than you realize. But Bella is going to survive and I know that's what really matters to you." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 17

-_"Now it's your turn not to break _me_." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 20

-_"It goes against the grain, letting you wrestle with lions. I was having an anxiety attack the whole time." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 21

-_"Maybe I'm hoping she'll get irritated and rip your head off." _Breaking dawn, Chapter 22

-_"I am her father. Not her creator – her biological father." _Breaking dawn, Chapter 30

-_"Don't be sad for him. He's happy now. Today, he's finally begun to forgive himself." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 39

Esme Anne Platt Evenson Cullen

**Name: **Esme Anne Platt Evenson Cullen

**Date of Birth: **1985

**Date of Transformation: **1921, at age 26

**Source of Transformation: **Carlisle Cullen

**Place of Origin: **Columbus, Ohio

**Hair Color: **Caramel brown

**Eye Color: **Brown (human); gold/black (vampire)

**Height: **5'6"

**Physical Description: **Esme has a heart-shaped face. Her body is small and slender, but curvy.

**Special Abilities: **She does not possess a quantifiable supernatural ability.

**Education/Occupation: **She has degrees in architecture and art, and has also studied photography.

**Hobbies: **She loves to restore old houses.

**Vehicle: **None; she borrows one of her family members' cars whenever she needs a vehicle.

**Family/Coven Relationships: **Before her transformation, she was married to Charles Evenson and had a son who died shortly after birth. She is currently married to Carlisle and considers Edward Cullen, Rosalie Hale, Emmett Cullen, Alice Cullen, and Jasper Hale her children; Bella Cullen her daughter-in-law; and Renesmee Cullen her granddaughter.

**Personal History:**

Esme Anne Platt grew up on a farm outside of Columbus, Ohio. As a child, she lived a happy life, although in her teen years, she found it hard to conform to the behavior that was expected of a respectable young lady at the time.

In 1911, Esme fell and broke her leg while climbing a tree. The local doctor was away, and she ended up being treated by Dr. Carlisle Cullen. Although she mentioned it to no one at the time, meeting Carlisle affected her deeply. He was unlike anyone she had ever met – genuinely thoughtful, and truly interested in what she had to say. Unfortunately, he was in town only briefly and soon left, but she never forgot him.

Esme's friends began to marry, and before long she was the only one still unwed. Esme wanted to fall in love herself, but she never found anyone who measured up to her memory of Carlisle. Esme tried to persuade her father to allow her to pursue a teaching position in the West, but he didn't think it was respectable for a lady to live alone in the wilds. Instead, her father pressured her to accept the son of a family friend who wanted to marry her. Several years Esme's senior, Charles Evenson had good prospects. Esme was indifferent to Charles, but not opposed to him, so she agreed to the marriage to please her father.

Esme quickly discovered that the marriage was a mistake; Charles's public face was very different from his private one. He physically abused her. Her parents rejected her plea for asylum; they counseled her to be a "good wife" and kept quiet. When Charles left to fight in World War I, it was an enormous relief. When he returned unscathed in 1919, it was a nightmare.

Soon after his return, Esme became pregnant. The baby was Esme's motivation to escape – she would not bring a child into Charles's home. Esme ran away and went to stay with a cousin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. When her husband discovered her whereabouts, she fled to Ashland, Wisconsin, where she posed as a war widow. In order to support herself, Esme pursued her old dream of becoming a schoolteacher.

Esme began building a life for herself and her baby. She loved the unborn child more than her own life. But two days after he son was born, he died of lung fever. Feeling as if she had lost everything, Esme walked to a cliff outside of town and jumped.

Esme regained consciousness in excruciating pain. Despite the pain, Esme was amazed to see Carlisle again, not sure if she was in heaven or hell. When the transformation was over, Carlisle explained that he'd turned her into a vampire in order to save her life. Esme was not as upset as he had expected. Adjusting to her new vampire nature had its challenge, and there were times when the call of human blood was too strong for her to resist; still, she was happy to be with the man she'd always idolized. Her youthful crush transitioned easily into full-fledged love.

Before long, Carlisle and Esme married. She never lost her maternal instincts, and as the oldest of the Cullens, she automatically fell into a mothering role with Edward and, later, the other members of the family.

**Famous Quotes:**

-_"Well, I do of them as my children in most ways. I never could get over my mothering instincts – did Edward tell you I had lost a child?" _Twilight, Chapter 17

-_"He's been the odd man out for far too long; it's hurt me to see him alone." _Twilight, Chapter 17

-_"I prefer to referee – I like keeping them honest." _Twilight, Chapter 17

-_"We'd never allow anything to happen to you, sweetheart." _Eclipse, Chapter 4

Rosalie Lillian Hale

**Name: **Rosalie Lillian Hale

**Date of Birth: **1915

**Date of Transformation:** Late 1933, at age 18

**Source of Transformation: **Carlisle Cullen

**Place of Origin:** Rochester, New York

**Hair Color: **Golden blond

**Eye Color: **Dark blue, almost violet (human); gold/black (vampire)

**Height: **5'9"

**Physical Description:** Rosalie has strikingly beautiful features and a stunning, statuesque physique. Her wavy blond hair falls halfway down her back.

**Special Abilities: **She does not possess a quantifiable supernatural ability.

**Education/Occupation: **She has earned degrees in electrical engineering, business, and astrophysics, and has studied medicine (the last as a favor to Carlisle, to help keep him up-to-date with the fastest advances.)

**Hobbies: **She enjoys enhancing cars and doing anything mechanical.

**Vehicle:** Red BMW M3 convertible

**Family/Coven Relationships: **She is married to Emmett Cullen. She considers Carlisle and Esme Cullen to be her parents; Edward Cullen, Alice Cullen, and Jasper Hale to be her siblings; Bella Cullen to be her sister-in-law; and Renesmee Cullen to be her niece. Before her transformation, she grew up with her biological parents and two younger brothers.

**Family History:**

Rosalie Hale was born to a banker and his wife in Rochester, New York. Luckily, the bank her father worked at stayed solvent through the stock-market crash and resulting economic downturn. The Great Depression did not seriously impact Rosalie's family the way it did many less fortunate families. Her parents were eager to do better, though – to move in higher social circles. As Rosalie grew and her beauty increased, they hoped her loveliness would open doors for them.

Rosalie enjoyed her parents' pride in her looks, her father's pleasure in buying her beautiful clothes, her girlfriends' envy, and the admiration of every man she passed. The result of all this attention was that Rosalie tended to be self-absorbed and rather shallow, with a focus on the material.

At eighteen, Rosalie was considered the most beautiful girl in Rochester, and possibly the state of New York. Her family was moderately wealthy and she wanted for nothing. Rosalie envied no one…except for her friend Vera. Vera had a husband who loved her and the most adorable baby boy, Henry. Rosalie longed for a husband and a baby of her own. When Rosalie caught the eye of Royce King II, the son of the richest man in Rochester, she felt that she was on her way to having absolutely everything she'd ever wanted. Her parents were overjoyed; a whirlwind courtship and plans for an extravagant wedding quickly followed.

One night, a week before the wedding, Rosalie was walking home after a visit with Vera. A few blocks from her street she heard the drunken laughter of a group of men. A moment later, she realized one of them was Royce. She'd never seen Royce drunk before, and didn't know the dark side of his character. Royce and his friend brutally assaulted and raped Rosalie. Thinking her dead, they abandoned her in the road.

Moments later, Carlisle Cullen found Rosalie and transformed her to save her life. He hoped that Rosalie might make a suitable companion for Edward, but they never viewed each other in that way, though they did come to love each other as brother and sister.

One of the first things Rosalie did as a vampire was to take revenge on Royce and his friends. She hunted her attackers down one by one, saving Royce for last because she wanted him to suffer psychologically from the fear of knowing that something was coming for him. She tortured all of her attackers to death, but she didn't drink their blood; she was repulsed by the idea of having ay part of them inside her. She and Carlisle (and, later, Bella) are the only vampires in the Cullen clan who have never killed humans for blood.

Though vengeance was satisfying in its way, Rosalie remained deeply unhappy in her vampire life. She missed her human family greatly. More than that, the chance to have what she longed for – a husband who loved her, a baby of her own – had been taken from her along with her humanity.

Two years later, Rosalie's life changed. While the Cullens were living in Tennessee, she discovered a man, Emmett McCarty, being mauled by a bear in the woods. Something about the man reminded Rosalie of her friend Vera's young son, and Rosalie didn't want him to die. She rescued Emmett and took him to Carlisle. She asked Carlisle to transform him, even though she hated her own vampire existence and knew her request was selfish.

But Emmett didn't see Rosalie as selfish; he fell in love with her, and he easily adapted to vampire life. He and Rosalie soon married – and did so repeatedly over the decades. Rosalie loved being the center of attention as the bride, and Emmett loved making her happy. The two have sometimes lived as a couple apart from the rest of the Cullen family.

**Famous Quotes:**

-_"I'm so very sorry, Bella. I feel wretched about every part of this, and so grateful that you were brave enough to go save my brother after what I did. Please say you'll forgive me." _New Moon, Chapter 22

-_"It's just that…this is not the life I would have chosen for myself. I wish there had been someone there to vote no for me." _New Moon, Chapter 24

-_"Would you like to hear my story, Bella? It doesn't have a happy ending – but which of ours does? If we had happy endings, we'd all be under gravestones now." _Eclipse, Chapter 7

-_"Over my pile of ashes."_ Breaking dawn, Chapter 10

-_"Oh, wonderful. I knew I smelled something nasty." _Breaking dawn, Chapter 15

-_"You. Got. Food. In. My. Hair." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 15

-_"I'll help him toss you, dog. I owe you a good kick in the gut." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 22

Emmett McCarty Cullen

**Name: **Emmett McCarty Cullen

**Date of Birth: **1915

**Date of Transformation: **1935, at age 20

**Source of Transformation: **Carlisle Cullen

**Place of Origin: **Gatlinburg, Tennessee

**Hair Color: **Dark brown, almost black

**Eye Color: **Blue (human); gold/black (vampire)

**Height: **6'5"

**Physical Description: **Emmett has an imposing frame; he is both tall and extremely muscular. His hair is curly and nearly black. He had dimples when he smiles, and his face has an innocent quality not often seen in a grown man.

**Special Abilities: **He does not possess a quantifiable supernatural ability.

**Education/Occupation: **He has attended high school and college multiple times. He's never finished any particular degree, preferring instead to move quickly from one subject that interests him to the next.

**Hobbies: **He loves competitive sports and games, especially anything that involves a physical challenge.

**Vehicle: **Red Jeep Wrangler modified for off-roading

**Family/Coven Relationships: **He is married to Rosalie Hale. He considers Carlisle and Esme Cullen to be his parents; Edward Cullen, Alice Cullen, and Jasper Hale to be his siblings; Bella Cullen to be his sister-in-law; and Renesmee Cullen to be his niece.

**Personal History:**

Emmett grew up in a small town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, part of a large Scotch-Irish family. He had what his parents considered a wild adolescence; never one to worry about consequences, Emmett ran with a wild crowd that drank, gambled, and womanized. Emmett was always a help to his family, however. He was an excellent hunter and woodsman, and always kept the McCartys supplied with game. When he was twenty years old and out on a routine hunting trip in the Smokey Mountains, he was attacked by a large black bear. Emmett was close to losing consciousness when he thought he heard a second bear fighting with the first. He figured they were battling over who would get his corpse.

Then the growling stopped and Emmett felt like he was flying. He managed to open his eyes and saw what he thought was an angel. When the transformation began and the fiery agony spread through his body, he was sure he'd died and gone to hell.

When the pain left him, Emmett learned what had really happened to him. In his delirium, he'd seen Rosalie as an angel and Carlisle as a God, but in fact they were both vampires – and now he was a vampire, too. He took the truth in stride; Emmett was never one to worry to worry about situations outside of his control. He continues to think of Rosalie as his angel.

With his naturally happy nature, Emmett adjusted easily to the idea of being a vampire. Learning to control himself, however, was a more difficult challenge. In the years jut after his transformation, Emmett was often unable to resist human blood. The Cullens were forced to move often until Emmett learned to restrain himself.

He generally bonded with all the members of his new family and, aside from his dietary lapses, also made their lives more comfortable. Emmett's easygoing nature brought out Edward's more optimistic side, and Rosalie became a different person altogether. When Emmett, ever practical, wanted to provide for his human family, Edward gave him a small fortune, which Emmett left in a bag on their doorstep. Even though he knew he could never again be part of their family, he wanted to ease the burden of losing a strong, hardworking son. After doing what he could do for them, he didn't look back.

**Famous Quotes:**

-_"Hell, yes!" _New Moon, Chapter 24

-_"I'm really glad Edward didn't kill you. Everything's so much more fun with you around." _Eclipse, Chapter 4

-_"Nice to have toddler's guarding the fort." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 11

-_"Did ya get in a couple good swipes?" _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 22

-_"So it's still standing? I would've thought you two had knocked it to rubble by now. What were you doing last night? Discussing the national debt?" _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 25

-_"I'm sure you'll ace your classes…apparently there's nothing interesting for you to do at night besides study." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 25

-_"'Bout time somebody scored around here." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 25

-_"She's too _tame_." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 26

-_"Not much wild about _you_, is there? I bet that cottage doesn't have a scratch." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 26

Mary Alice Brandon Cullen

**Name: **Mary Alice Brandon Cullen; preferred name: Alice

**=Date of Birth: **1901

**Date of Transformation: **1920, at age 19

**Source of Transformation: **An unnamed vampire who worked in a mental institution

**Place of Origin:** Biloxi, Mississippi

**Hair Color: **Black

**Eye Color: **Dark brown (human); gold/black (vampire)

**Height: **4'10"

**Physical Description: **Alice is tiny and graceful. Her hair is very short and spiky because her head was shaved in a mental hospital and her hair was in the process of growing out when she was transformed.

**Special Abilities: **She can see into the future, although wheat he sees is based on decisions being made; thus, she must wait for a decision to be firmly rooted in the mind, or acted upon, before she can see the end result. Her talent is limited to humans and vampires because she has been both; she cannot see the futures of werewolves or hybrid vampires.

**Education/Occupation: **She has attended high school and college several times. She has degrees in fashion design and international business. One of the ways she makes money is by using her gift for seeing the future to predict windfall investments in the stock market.

**Hobbies: **She plays the stock market and loves designing and shopping for clothes.

**Vehicles: **A canary yellow Porsche 911 Turbo

**Family/Coven Relationships: **Alice is married to Jasper Hale. She considers Carlisle and Esme Cullen to be her parents; Edward Cullen, Rosalie Hale, and Emmett Cullen to be her siblings; Bella Cullen to be her sister-in-law; and Renesmee Cullen to be her niece. She had a human sister named Cynthia, and she has a human niece who still resides in Biloxi.

**Personal History:**

Mary Alice Brandon – or Alice, a she was commonly known – lived in a middle-class home in Biloxi, Mississippi, with her parents and her sister, Cynthia, who was nine years younger. Her father was a jeweler and a pearl trader. He bought the pearls from local divers and then moved the pearls inland to be sold in more profitable markets away from the coast. His job kept him away from the family for days at a time. Alice's mother tended to their home and the orchard on their property, and took care of Alice and Cynthia. The girls were fairly close despite the wide age difference between them.

Alice had the gift of foresight even as a little girl, but her premonitions were not nearly as strong as they would be later in her life. They came to her more as feelings than visions. At first her parents thought her premonitions were amusing. "Alice is always right," they would say when the five-year-old dressed herself in a slicker even though the sky was blue; later, of course, the rain would begin. "Grandma will be here soon," she would announce. They would laugh and put out an extra plate.

As Alice grew older, she became more hesitant to share her predictions. She hated looking ridiculous when her premonitions turned out to be wrong. (Weather was the easiest for her to predict correctly, because it didn't involve people and their tendencies to change their minds.) By age ten, she nearly voiced all he predictions, but those she did give came true often enough that people started to talk. "That uncanny child of the Brandons" was seldom asked to other children's birthday parties. Alice's mother loved her deeply and counseled her to keep quiet about her premonitions.

By the time Alice turned eighteen, she'd learned to ignore her gift, for the most part, but occasionally she felt compelled to speak. When she did, it sometimes turned out badly, such as when Alice warned a friend not to marry a certain man; the friend ignored her, and it was revealed that the man's family had a history of insanity. Rather than blame herself or her husband, the friend whispered to others that Alice had put a curse on her. On another occasion, one of Alice's favorite cousins planned to go west to seek his fortune, and Alice begged him not to. The cousin died in an accident on the road, and his parents – Alice's aunt and uncle – blamed Alice for jinxing his trip. People started to use the words _witch_ and _changeling_ when talking about her.

Then Alice had her most terrifying vision. She saw her mother being murdered by a stranger in the woods on her way into town. She told her mother what she had seen, and her mother listened to her. Alice's mother kept her daughters in the house with the doors locked and a pistol loaded. Mr. Brandon returned home from a trip tow days later to a dirty house full of terrified women and empty of food. On Mrs. Brandon's insistence, he searched the woods near the road but found nothing. He was angry with Alice's "damned stories" and ordered Alice not to put everyone in a panic again.

Alice began to be haunted by flashes of the stranger, still stalking her mother. When she told her parents what she'd seen, her father was furious with Alice's hysteria. He insisted that the family go about their usual routine. But he was often gone, and when he was, Alice's mother followed Alice's desperate warnings as much as possible. Still, she had to shop for supplies and tend her orchard. When a month passed and no one had seen the man, Mrs. Brandon grew less wary. She began returning her friends' visits and attending sewing circles. She took the pistol with her every time she left the house – at first. After two months, she started to forget.

One night Alice had a perfectly clear vision of the man in a Model T running her mother's buggy off the road just outside of town, where there was a steep drop. Alice's mother had already left home in the buggy. Alice ran after her, seeing in her mind the stranger watching the crashed buggy to be sure there was no movement inside. Next she had a vision of the man driving away from the scene of the accident. Alice knew she was too late, but she kept running.

The death of Alice's mother was declared accidental, and Alice's protestations to the contrary were met with disdain and suspicion. Alice's father ordered her to be silent.

Mr. Brandon remarried within six months of his wife's death. The woman was a blond Yankee from Illinois who was only ten years older than Alice; Mr. Brandon had frequently sold pearls to her jeweler father in the past. The new Mrs. Brandon was quite cold to Alice, though she made a pet of the younger Cynthia.

Even unguided by visions, Alice was bright. Careless, offhand comments by her new stepmother and evidence of longer preparations for this marriage than should have been possible made Alice suspicious. She took her suspicions to her father, who raged to her for suggesting ill of his new wife.

The night after her confrontation with her father, Alice had a vision of him and the stranger who had killed her mother. Her father was giving the man money. Then Alice had a vision of the man standing over her with a knife. Too late, she realized that she'd confided in exactly the wrong person. Alice rushed out into the night and ran five miles to the home of her aunt and uncle, her only living relatives. Alice beat on the door until they answered, then gasped out her story: Her father had arranged to have her mother murdered and was sending the killer after her next. The aunt – who still blamed Alice for her son's death – shoved Alice off the porch and told her husband to get the dogs and drive Alice away.

Alice hurried ten more miles back to town and arrived at the town marshal's house to find it lit and busy. Both her aunt and her father were already there, and the marshal had been informed that Alice had gone mad. Alice accused her father of his crimes and her stepmother of complicity, but no one listened. Most people already thought Alice was crazy – or possessed by the devil. The marshal was paid well to have Alice put quietly into an asylum two counties away. Few people knew what had actually happened, and everyone who did know the truth was very understanding about the Brandon's desire to pretend that Alice had died.

In the mental asylum, Alice's head was shaved during the threat of a typhoid outbreak. She also endured electroshock therapy. The treatment caused her to lose her memory, but it also allowed her naturally cheerful and humorous disposition to return, since she no longer remembered the sadness and horror of her recent life.

Unknown to Alice, a vampire was working as a groundskeeper where she was incarcerated. This vampire, who was taking advantage of this pool of humans who could die without much notice being taken, formed an attachment to Alice. He kept her from the shock treatments and other horrors whenever he could. He learned of Alice's abilities; she always knew when he was coming to visit her. He would bring hidden objects with him, to see if she could guess what he had. She always got it right.

Then Alice had a vision of James. It occurred the moment he caught her scent, old and faded, in her hometown two counties away. She saw James find her. She told her only friend, the vampire, and he knew that what she was seeing was fact. He planned to escape with her, but Alice saw James catching up to her anyway. He offered other options, but every choice ended with James. Then the groundskeeper decided to change her. Alice saw that this would be very close. There might not be time for her blood to transform sufficiently for James to gain nothing in killing her. The vampire had heard enough. He bit Alice immediately and took her away to hide her. Knowing this would barely slow James, he put himself in James's path to delay him. From Alice's vision, he knew James was a strong hunter, and that it was a fight he would not win.

After her transformation, Alice awoke alone. The pain of the transformation had the same effect on Alice as the shocks; she remembered nothing of her life in the asylum, or of the vampire who had transformed her. She was unaware of James as the reason for her change. Fortunately, Alice's psychic gifts were not greatly enhanced and strengthened. She was able to see the best future for herself.

Alice's first clear vision as a vampire was of Jasper Whitlock. She knew jasper was her future mate, but she also knew that he wasn't ready for her yet. Instead of going to look for him, she waited for him to find her. In the meantime, she practiced – with sporadic success – living a "vegetarian" lifestyle, knowing that in time she and Jasper would end up with the Cullen family.

In 1948, Alice went to the small diner in Philadelphia where she knew she and Jasper were destined to meet. Though her greeting was characteristically cryptic, Jasper's ability to feel the emotions of those around him allowed him to appreciate the magnitude of the occasion. Alice was already n love; Jasper quickly learned to reciprocate.

To please Alice, Jasper began practicing a "vegetarian" lifestyle as well. By 1950, when they joined the Cullens, Alice was able to control her thirst as well as the rest of the family did. Jasper continues to have more difficulty with self-restraint then the others. Alice and Jasper were married sometime after joining the Cullen family.

Alice loves all of her adopted family, but has a special bond with Edward. Thanks to his mind-reading abilities, he is the only one who truly understands what it is like to live with constant visions of the future.

**Famous Quotes:**

-_"You do smell nice. I never noticed before." _Twilight, Chapter 15

-_"It sounded like you were having Bella for lunch, and we came to see if you would share." _Twilight, Chapter 16

-_"Do you think any of us want to look into his eyes for the next hundred years if he loses you?" _Twilight, Chapter 20

-_"I will always tell you the truth." _Twilight, Chapter 20

-_"Edward, you have to do it." _Twilight, Chapter 23

-_"Would you like to explain to me how you're alive?" _New Moon, Chapter 17

-_"Honestly, I think it's all gotten beyond ridiculous. I'm debating whether to just change you myself." _New Moon, Chapter 19

-_"How strongly are you opposed to grand theft auto?" _New Moon, Chapter 19

-_"I think she's having hysterics. Maybe you should slap her." _New Moon, Chapter 22

-_"Who invited the werewolf?" _Eclipse, Chapter 17

-_"Please, Bella, please – if you really love me…Please let me do your wedding." _Eclipse, Chapter 21

-_"No one dressed by me _ever_ looks like an idiot." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 1

-_"Bella gets in the way. She's all wrapped around it, so she's…blurry. Like bad reception on a TV – like trying to focus your eyes on those fuzzy people jerking around on the screen." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 14

-_"Esme, give her a few pointers on acting human." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 25

Jasper Whitlock Hale

**Name: **Jasper Whitlock Hale

**Date of Birth: **1844

**Date of Transformation: **1863, at age 19

**Source of Transformation: **Maria

**Place of Origin: **Houston, Texas

**Hair Color: **Honey blond

**Eye Color: **Brown (human); gold/black (vampire)

**Height: **6'3"

**Physical Description: **Jasper is tall with a medium build, and his hair falls to just above his collar. He has many scars from years of dealing with newborn vampires, but these scars are easily visible only to others with supernaturally good eyesight.

**Special Abilities: **Jasper has the ability to both feel and manipulate the emotions of those around him.

**Education/Occupation: **He has attended high school and college several times. He has degrees in philosophy and history.

**Hobbies: **He is a natural scholar and an avid reader. He has a shrewd mind for both business and battle tactics.

**Vehicle: **Jasper has the silver Ducati motorcycle given to him by Edward.

**Family/Coven Relationships: **He is married to Alice Cullen. He considers Carlisle and Esme Cullen to be his parents; Edward Cullen, Rosalie Hale, and Emmett Cullen to be his siblings; Bella Cullen to be his sister-in-law; and Renesmee Cullen to be his niece. He also feels brotherly affection for nomadic vampires Peter and Charlotte.

**Personal History:**

Jasper Whitlock grew up in Houston, Texas. When he was almost seventeen, he lied about his age and volunteered to join the Confederate Army. He rose quickly through the ranks, being promoted over older, more experienced men. People thought of Jasper as charismatic. This was likely due in part to early traces of the psychic ability Jasper would develop after his transformation. Even as a human, Jasper had a gift for empathizing with and influencing the emotions of those around him.

By the time the Battle of Galveston began, Jasper was the youngest major in the Confederate army. After leading a group of refugees from Galveston to Houston, he encountered three extraordinarily beautiful women – Maria, Nettie, and Lucy. Maria – a vampire and head of her coven – decided to transform Jasper into a vampire for the newborn army she was creating.

Maria chose her newborns more carefully than was usual. She'd chosen Jasper first because of his rank – which meant he'd had success in a military system – and second because of that charismatic quality that had always drawn other humans to him. Jasper was naturally gifted as a warrior and a leader. His ability to control the emotional environment around him, although not yet fully developed, made Maria's army more effective.

A bond formed between Jasper and Maria. She came to depend on him more and more and grew quite fond of him. For Jasper, Maria's army was the only vampire life he had known, and he had no idea anything else was possible for him.

One of Jasper's regular tasks was to execute members of the coven who had outlived their newborn strength and developed no other skills that made them valuable to the army. Eventually he had help in this task from Peter, another former newborn who had proved himself worthy of being kept around. Jasper liked Peter for his oddly civilized nature. They became friends.

One night as he and Peter were carrying out the grim task of dispatching age-weakened newborns, Jasper could feel the unusually difficult emotional toll it was taking on his friend. When Jasper called out a newborn named Charlotte, Peter suddenly erupted in fear and fury. He yelled for Charlotte to run, then bolted after her. Jasper could easily have caught them, but he chose not to.

As the years passed, Jasper became depressed, tired of always being surrounded by the devastating emotions of those he killed. Maria was not pleased with this alteration. He began to notice a change in her emotions around him; sometimes she was fearful, sometimes malicious. He knew Maria was thinking about getting rid of him, and Jasper began planning how he would destroy her first.

At this critical moment, Peter came back to find Jasper. He told Jasper of an alternative he had never imagined: Peter and Charlotte had been living peacefully in the North for the last five years, meeting several other covens that coexisted amicably, Jasper left with Peter immediately.

He traveled with Peter and Charlotte for a few years, but even in the more peaceful North, his depression didn't lift. Though he was killing only humans now, he was still subject to their emotions as they died.

Jasper's misery stayed with him, and eventually he left Peter and Charlotte. He tried to kill less often, but the thirst always grew overwhelming.

In 1948, Jasper encountered Alice. She approached Jasper as if they were close friends and told him he'd kept her waiting a long time. Jasper was puzzled and wary, but Alice's joyful emotions impacted him greatly. When Alice held out her hand, he took it. And he felt an unfamiliar emotion: hope.

Alice explained her vision of the Cullens, and she described the lifestyle of Carlisle and his family. Jasper found it all hard to believe, but he and Alice set off to find them. Once they did, Alice and Jasper were quickly welcomed into the family. Jasper started using the last name Hale because he and Rosalie looked related, and people assumed they were siblings. It made sense to go along with what humans already seemed inclined to believe. At Carlisle suggestion, Alice and Jasper were married shortly after joining the Cullens.

Jasper became fond of the members of his new family but never developed the deep bonds with them that Alice did. Jasper chose to live with the Cullens in order to stay with Alice, and because the "vegetarian" lifestyle, though exceptionally difficult for him, freed him from the negative emotions that had so depressed him.

**Famous Quotes:**

-_"I can feel what you're feeling now – and you _are_ worth it." _Twilight, Chapter 19.

-_"You held out your hand, and I took it without stopping to make sense of what I was doing. For the first time in almost a century, I felt hope." _Eclipse, Chapter 13

-_"I've never seen a newborn do that – stop an emotion in its tracks that way. You were upset, but when you saw our concern, you reined it in, regained power over yourself." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 20

Isabella Marie Swan Cullen

**Name: **Isabella Marie Swan Cullen; preferred name: Bella

**Date of Birth: **September 13, 1987

**Date of Transformation: **September 11, 2006, at age 18

**Source of Transformation: **Edward Cullen

**Place of Origin: **Forks, Washington

**Hair Color:** Brown

**Eye Color: **Brown (human); red (newborn vampire), which will change to gold/black

**Height: **5'4"

**Physical Description: **Bella's dark brown hair is long, thick, and straight. She has a wide forehead with a widow's peak, and a narrow jaw with a pointed chin. Her eyes are large and widely spaced, her cheekbones prominent, her nose thin. Her lips are out of proportion, a bit too full for her slim jawline. Her eyebrows are darker than her hair and are straighter than they are arched. She's slender but not muscular. As a human, Bella was very fair-skinned, with chocolate-brown eyes. As a vampire, she is even paler, and her eyes are bright red. They will change to gold/black as her human blood leaves her system. Bella's features were heightened and perfected by her transformation.

**Special Abilities: **Her mind is impenetrable; no one can read her thoughts unless she allows it. She can shield herself from all types oh psychic attacks and learns to shield those around her.

**Education/Occupation: **She is a graduate of Forks High School. As a human, she held a part-time job at Newton's Olympic Outfitters.

**Hobbies: **Bella enjoys reading, especially the classics, and listening to music.

**Vehicles: **Red 1953 Chevy pickup truck, a 1960s Honda motorcycle, a 2006 Mercedes Guardian, a red Ferrari F430

**Family/Coven Relationships: **She is married to Edward Cullen, and Renesmee Cullen is her daughter. Her father is Charlie Swan. Her mother, Renée, is married to Phil Dwyer, Bella's stepfather. Bella views Carlisle and Esme Cullen as her father- and mother-in-law, and Alice Cullen, Rosalie Hale, Emmett Cullen, and Jasper Hale as her sisters- and brothers-in-law.

**Personal History:**

Isabella "Bella" Swan was born in Forks, Washington. Her parents, Renée and Charlie, divorced when she was still a baby. Bella lived with her mother, growing up mainly in Riverside, California, and Phoenix, Arizona. Up until 2002, Bella visited her father in Forks for a month every summer. The climate in Forks was unpleasant to Bella, though, and when she was old enough, she insisted that Charlie meet her in California for a few weeks in the summer instead.

Bella didn't fit in with her peers in California or Arizona. She had the feeling of being a little out of sync with everyone – even the person she was closest to, her mother. Renée was a very extroverted, impractical, and absentminded mother who liked to dabble in a multitude of hobbies; from necessity, Bella turned out quite the opposite. At an early age she took over most of the household responsibilities. When not being the adult, she preferred quiet pastimes like reading, in part because she was extraordinarily clumsy. Her naturally responsible nature carried over into her schoolwork, where Bella usually received A's. Her plan for the future was to get a degree in education and teach, like her mother. Renée's career was the one thing Bella truly respected about her mother. However, she intended to teach at the high school level.

When Renée fell in love with and married minor-league baseball player Phil Dwyer, Bella chose to move in with her father in Forks so Renée could go on the road with her new husband during baseball season. Bella arrived in Forks in January 2005 to finish high school in the town where she was born. On her first day at Forks High School, she met Edward Cullen.

**Famous Quotes:**

-_"About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him – and I didn't know how potent that part might be – that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him." _Twilight, Chapter 9

-_"I don't speak _Car and Driver_." _Twilight, Chapter 11

-_"You said that Rosalie and Emmett will get married soon…Is that…marriage…the same as it is for humans?"_ Twilight, Chapter 14

-_"Well, it's no irritable grizzly…" _Twilight, Chapter 15

-_"_Rosalie_ is jealous of _me_?" _Twilight, Chapter 15

-_"I'm betting on Alice." _Twilight, Chapter 24

-_"Oh, I'm with the vampires, of course." _Twilight, Epilogue

-_"Which is tempting you more, my blood or my body?" _New Moon, Chapter 2

-_"Nothing. I just hadn't realized before. Did you know, you're sort of beautiful?" _New Moon, Chapter 8

-_"Could you…well, try to _not_ be a…werewolf?" _New Moon, Chapter 13

-_"My mortality. I'm putting it to a vote." _New Moon, Chapter 23

-_"I would want…Carlisle not to have to do it. I would want you to change me." _New Moon, Chapter 24

-_"Am I the only one who has to get _old_? I get older every stinking day!" _Eclipse, Chapter 5

-_"We're a bit sensitive to blood around here. I'm sure you can understand that." _Eclipse, Chapter 10

-_"I punched a werewolf in the face." _Eclipse, Chapter 15

-_"Show me the damn ring, Edward." _Eclipse, Chapter 20

-_"Kiss me, Jacob. Kiss me, and then come back." _Eclipse, Chapter 23

-_"Edward, I know who I can't live without." _Eclipse, Chapter 27

-_"It's a good thing you're bulletproof. I'm going to need that ring. It's time to tell Charlie." _Eclipse, Chapter 27

-_"Does this screw my total? Or do we start counting _after_ I'm a vampire?" _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 13

-_"It feels…_complete_ when you're here, Jacob. Like all my family is together." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 15

-_"Huh. I can see what everyone's been going on about. You stink, Jacob." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 22

-_"You nicknamed my daughter after the _Loch Ness Monster_?" _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 22

-_"We're going to tell her I spent hours in there playing dress-up. We're going to _lie_." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 24

-_"It's over. We've all been sentenced to die." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 28

-_"I am _all_ over this." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 38

-_"Now you know. No one's ever loved anyone as much as I love you." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 39

**Famous Conversations With Edward:**

-_"Please tell me just one little theory."_

"_Um, well, bitten by a radioactive spider?"_

"_That's not very creative."_

"_I'm sorry, that's all I've got."_

"_You're not even close."_

"_No spiders?"_

"_Nope."_

"_And no radioactivity?"_

"_None."_

"_Dang."_

"_Kryptonite doesn't bother me, either." _Twilight, Chapter 5

-_"I smelled the blood."_

"_People can't smell blood."_

"_Well, I can – that's what makes me sick. It smells like rust…and salt…What?"_

"_It's nothing." _Twilight, Chapter 5

-_"I dazzle people?"_

"_You haven't noticed? Do you think everybody gets their way so easily?"_

"_Do I dazzle _you_?"_

"_Frequently." _Twilight, Chapter 8

-_"How old are you?"_

"_Seventeen."_

"_And how long have you been seventeen?"_

"_A while." _Twilight, Chapter 9

-_"Don't laugh – but how can you come out during the daytime?"_

"_Myth."_

"_Burned by the sun?"_

"_Myth."_

"_Sleeping in coffins?"_

"_Myth. I can't sleep."_

"_At all?"_

"_Never." _Twilight, Chapter 9

-_"And so the lion fell in love with the lamb…"_

"_What a stupid lamb."_

"_What a sick, masochistic lion." _Twilight, Chapter 13

Renesmee Carlie Cullen

**Name: **Renesmee Carlie Cullen; nickname: Nessie

**Date of Birth: **September 11, 2006

**Date of Transformation: **Born a vampire/human hybrid

**Place of Origin: **Forks, Washington

**Hair Color: B**ronze

**Eye Color: **Brown

**Height: **3'5"

**Physical Description: **Renesmee has fir skin, pink cheeks, dimples, and bronze-colored ringlets.

**Special Abilities: **She can show people her thoughts by touching their skin. So far, no one has been able to block her talent.

**Education/Occupation: **She is taught at home by her parents, extended family, and friends.

**Hobbies: **She likes to hunt with Jacob, read, study, and spend time with her parents and the other members of the Cullen family.

**Vehicle: **She doesn't have a vehicle yet.

**Family/Coven Relationships: **She is the natural daughter of Edward and Bella Cullen. Charlie Swan and Renée Dwyer are her natural grandparents. Carlisle and Esme Cullen are her adoptive grandparents through their relationship to Edward. She thinks of Rosalie Hale and Alice Cullen as her aunts, and of Jasper Hale and Emmett Cullen as her uncles. Jacob Black has imprinted on her.

**Personal History:**

Renesmee has both vampire and human characteristics. She has inherited many physical gifts from her vampire heritage; her teeth are nearly a strong as vampire teeth, her skin is almost as durable as vampire skin, and her muscles perform with supernatural strength, though not quite at vampire level. Mentally, she learns with vampire speed and retains with vampire perfection. Due to her human side, she has a beating heart and a functioning circulatory system. She also can eat human food and sleep. She maintains a body temperature greater than that of a normal human, at around a greatly accelerated rate. It is expected that she, like other hybrids, will stop growing when her body reaches its adult size. Her physical growth is greatly outstripped by her mental development.

**Famous Quotes:**

-_"But I can show you more than I can tell you." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 30

-_"I'm not dangerous at all…I love humans. And wolf-people like my Jacob." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 30

-_"Momma, you're special." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 31

-_"I love you too, Momma. We'll always be together."_ Breaking Dawn, Chapter 35

THE CULLEN HOME

The Cullens' house in Forks is more than a hundred years old. Painstakingly restored by Esme, it is painted white, is three stories tall, and features a deep porch that wraps around the front of the house. The back, south-facing is three stories of glass.

The inside of the first story is open and bright, with few internal walls. To the left of the front door is a wide central staircase. To the right is a raised area with a grand piano in the center. Also to the right are a dining room and kitchen, but these are more for show than for actual use. Behind the stairs is the office of C.E.E. Inc., the Cullens' personal company, where they manage all of their business dealings.

At the top of the staircase on the second floor is the room that Rosalie and Emmett share. Moving around the central stairs clockwise, first comes Jasper's study, then Alice and Jasper's room, with an attached closet that is larger than the room itself. Carlisle's office is next, with an area inside for Esme's study and Carlisle's personal library. During Bella's pregnancy, the library was converted into a combination exam and delivery room.

The room that Carlisle and Esme share is at the top of the staircase on the third floor. Edward's room is also on this floor, facing south. The remainder of the third floor is called the library and is used for any technically illegal activity, such as forging birth certificates and hacking into computer systems, which the Cullens must do in order to maintain the various identities needed to live unnoticed in human society.

Chapter Quotes:

Page 87: "And then, after a few miles, there was some thinning of the woods, and we were suddenly in a small meadow, or was it actually a lawn? The gloom of the forest didn't relent, though, for there were six primordial cedars that shaded an entire acre with their vast sweep of branches. The tress held their protective shadow right up to the walls of the house that rose among them, making obsolete the deep porch that wrapped around the first story." –Bella, on her first impressions of the Cullen grounds (_Twilight_, Chapter 15)

Page 92: "Carlisle found me in a hospital in the summer of 1918. I was seventeen, and dying of the Spanish influenza." –Edward (_Twilight_, Chapter 14)

Page 98: Unfortunately Edward isn't based on anybody – he is all imagination and wishing. I think his allure is partially due to his old-fashioned manners. He's a gentleman, and those are hard to come by these days." –Stephenie

Page 99: "And then his fingers flowed swiftly across the ivory, and the room was filled with a composition so complex, so luxuriant, it was impossible to believe only one set of hands played." –Bella, on Edward (_Twilight_, Chapter 15)

Page 100: "I like that Edward's not so clean-cut, that he has a dark side, that he's doing things that are not clearly legal or illegal." -Stephenie

Page 103: "This is Isle Esme…A gift from Carlisle – Esme offered to let us borrow it." –Edward, to Bella (Breaking Dawn, Chapter 5)

Page 108: "They ended up being vampires in the ay they are because I have strong opinions on free will. No matter what position you're in, you always have a choice. So I had these characters who were in a position where traditionally they would have been the bad guys, but, instead, they chose to be something different – a theme that has always been important to me." –Stephenie

Page 111: "I was thrilled to be me, to be Rosalie Hale. Pleased that men's eyes watched me…happy that my mother was proud of me and that my father liked to buy me pretty dresses." –Rosalie, on her human life (_Eclipse_, Chapter 7)

Page 112: "There are characters that I have to work for a little bit harder, and sort of get down to their motivations. A few of them – Rosalie, for example – were difficult. It took me a while to figure out what her thing was." –Stephenie

Page 117: "It was only two years later that she found Emmett. She was hunting – we were in Appalachia at the time – and found a bear about to finish him off. She carried him back to Carlisle, more than a hundred miles…" –Edward, on Rosalie (_Twilight_, Chapter 14)

Page 121: "Alice was a character who just popped into existence fully formed – so easily. It was like if Edward existed, then he must have a sister named Alice, and she would be this person. And she was one of the things that was sad for me with the book, because I wanted her to be real so much. Oh, I would love to have a friend like that. There must be someone just like her somewhere, because it seemed so obvious that she much exist." –Stephenie

"She was there – expecting me, naturally…'You've kept me waiting a long time,' she said." –Jasper, on Alice (_Eclipse_, Chapter 13)

Page 131: "I was almost seventeen years old when I joined the Confederate Army in 1861." –Jasper (_Eclipse_, Chapter 13)

Page 136: "It was a sweet, kind of tender moment. But there was this dark side to it because he was also admitting how much he had wanted to kill her from the first day he met her." –Stephenie (On Edward and Bella)

Page 138: "Edward pointed to the couple in the mirror directly across from us…the narrow sheath of the shimmering white dress flared out subtly at the train almost like an inverted calla lily, cut so skillfully that her body looked elegant and graceful…" –Bella, on wearing her wedding dress (_Breaking Dawn_, Chapter 4)

Page 141: "They were all waiting in the huge white living room; when I walked through the door, they greeted me with a loud chorus of 'Happy birthday, Bella!' while I blushed and looked down." –Bella (_New Moon_, Chapter 1)

Page 142: "The wooden floor, the light blue walls, the peaked ceiling, the yellowed lace curtains around the window – these were all a part of my childhood." –Bella, on her bedroom (_Twilight_, Chapter 1)

Page 146: Born healthy, "more beautiful than her father" (_Breaking Dawn_, Chapter 19), and strong, Renesmee needed a crib made of wrought iron.

Page 148: "The house was timeless, graceful, and probably a hundred years old. It was pained a soft, faded white, three stories tall, rectangular and well proportioned. The windows and doors were either part of the original structure or a perfect restoration." –Bella, on her first impressions of the Cullen home (_Twilight_, Chapter 15)


	6. Sorry, not a chapter

Sorry that I haven't been updating, guys. I've been very busy with my schoolwork. You should already know this information if you've been checking out my Facebook Fan Page. I have a 5-page essay on _Ethan Frome_ due in less than 3 weeks. I've been mainly focusing on that.

I would like to thank each and every one of you who read and review my work. It means a lot to me. When I check my e-mail and I see that I got a new review and the things that they say just warm my heart.

I am currently woking on a chapter for the Twilight Ultimate Guide.

This is just a note saying that I haven't forgotten about you guys. I've just been really busy. I hope you guys forgive me for not updating in a long time, but I'm doing the best that I can at the moment. I know I won't be updating today, but I _**WILL**___be updating by next week (I promise).

Like I said...I'm so sorry for not updating in a while, but I will shortly.

See you in time,

Stephanie


	7. Covens (The Volturi Coven & Guard)

**I know, everybody. It's been FOREVER! I've just been pretty busy, but, since it's spring break, hopefully I'll be updating more.**

* * *

**Author's Note: All characters, plotlines, and everything in between are created and owned by Stephenie Meyer. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement intended.**

**Chapter 5: Covens (The Volturi Coven & The Volturi Guard)**

The equivalent of royalty in the vampire world, the Volturi coven consists of five core members: Aro; Caius; Marcus; Aro's wife, Sulpicia; and Caius's wife, Athenodora. Marcus's wife (and Aro's sister), Didyme, was also a member of the Volturi before she died.

The Volturi reside in their city – Volterra, Italy – which they have secretly controlled for three thousand years, since the time of the Etruscans. They prefer to stay indoors, out of sight of humans, using other vampires as subordinates to serve their coven. Occasionally, they also use human minions.

Between 400 and 500 A.D., the Volturi launched an offensive against the most powerful coven in the world, the Romanians. Rather than simply attack the Romanians, the Volturi first cleverly demanded that the Romanians conform to laws that the Volturi claimed benefited all vampirekind. When the Romanians scornfully refused, the Volturi were able to categorize (and publicize) their strike as a move for the good of all vampires, rather than a standard territory dispute.

The main portion of the war lasted for nearly a century and – due to the fact that there were still two remaining survivors of the original Romanian coven – was never officially concluded. In the end, the Volturi were able to defeat the Romanians because of Aro's intentional creation of talented vampires. The Romanians had created vampires for their empire with less foresight, and their physical skills were not a match in the long term for Aro's psychically gifted choices. Aro called his soldiers "the Volturi guard," making it clear that they were subservient to the actual coven of five.

After the Volturi had defeated the greater part of the Romanian coven, they began spreading their doctrine throughout the world. Their basic operating premise was that keeping the existence of vampires a secret was beneficial to all; anyone who would not keep this secret was an enemy to the vampire public.

While many vampires questioned the validity of this premise at the time (after all, what could a human do to a vampires, despite any knowledge that human might have), none of them wanted to take on the Volturi fresh off their victory over the Romanians. As time passed, more vampires were born into a world where the Volturi existed as benevolent governors, and slowly the Volturi became accepted by their own positive, self-created definition. Many of these new vampires were created by the Volturi themselves, indoctrinated, and then let loose into the world. This was the first incarnation of the Volturi's human recruitment program; they found humans who sought the power and immortality of vampire lore and introduced them into that world with a set of preconceived ideas about vampire society – ideas that those new vampires eventually introduced to their own "offspring" and other covens they came in contact with. After the Volturi became and accepted force, they continued with the human recruitment on a smaller sale; they utilized humans hopeful of becoming vampires as servants in order to create a human façade for their ancestral home. The majority of these humans were eventually killed for their blood, and only those with potential for useful psychic talents were transformed.

As time passed, the Volturi became more and more powerful as Aro discovered more humans and vampires with formidable gifts and added them to his "collection." In the twentieth century, the advances in human weapons technology came to be viewed by many vampires as a validation of the Volturi's now inspired-seeming laws.

The present-day Volturi guard stands at nine permanent members and ten to twelve additional transitory members. The foremost members are Jane and Alec, twins changed around 800 A.D. Jane and Alec had psychic abilities as humans that were greatly intensified in their vampire forms. After their inclusion, the Volturi's power became virtually unassailable.

Rank in the guard is decided by power; the guard members who are merely physically strong do not rank as high as those with extra abilities. Rank is marked by the color of the individual's cloak; the darker the cloak, the higher the vampire's rank. Jane and Alec wear the darkest cloak, outside of the true black of the actual coven members. The only guard who wears a darker cloak is Chelsea.

Generally, the Volturi do not keep the vampires of the world under close supervision. If a human were to discover the truth about vampires and remain silent, it is probable that the Volturi would never know and would leave the vampire responsible – and the human who possessed the newfound information – alone. The Volturi are concerned only with breaches that lead to widespread awareness in the human world. Certain news stories, books, or movies, about vampires occasionally pique the interest of the Volturi. Members of the guard then trace the information to its source, assess the threat, and silence if it need be.

Many vampires around the world aspire to be accepted into the Volturi, as vampires are drawn to power. However, most of them have nothing to offer the Volturi that the Volturi don't already have. Vampires with powerful skills unmatched in the Volturi's current coven are invited to take the place of older, less skilled vampires. Depending on the circumstances, a demoted vampire might go off on his or her own, join another coven, or be executed.

Aro

**Name:** Aro

**Date of Birth:** Around 1300 B.C.

**Date of Transformation:** Around 1260 B.C.

**Source of Transformation:** Unknown

**Place of Origin:** Greece

**Hair Color:** Black

**Eye Color:** Red/black, with an overlying milky film (vampire)

Height: 5'10"

**Physical Description:** Aro has an average build and is incredibly graceful in his movements. He has shoulder-length jet-black hair and perfect features. His skin is translucent white, slightly resembling the casing of an onion.

**Special Abilities:** When he touches someone, he can read every thought the person has ever had.

**Education/Occupation:** He is one of the three leaders of the Volturi coven, along with Caius and Marcus. He usually acts as the Volturi spokesperson.

**Family/Coven Relationships:** His mate is Sulpicia. His closest coven members are Caius, Marcus, and Athenodora. His natural sister, Didyme, is deceased. He and the other original Volturi are served by members of the Volturi guard.

**Personal History:**

Aro was born in Greece just after 1300 B.C. All his life, he was ambitious; power was always his primary goal. It was in the pursuit of this goal that he was transformed into a vampire in his mid-twenties. During the first century of his vampire life, he joined forces with two other vampires, Marcus and Caius, and transformed two humans into vampires: his sister, Didyme; and his future wife, Sulpicia. Aro formed this coven (which also included Caius's wife, Athenodora) in order to further his ruling ambition, seeking strength in numbers to augment his own powerful mind-reading talent. Originally, Aro, Caius, and Marcus agreed to rule jointly, but Aro was always the decision-making force behind the threesome. It was Aro who devised the plan on which the Volturi ultimately found their reign over the vampire world: the concept of vampire laws of mutual convenience. Over time, Marcus lost interest in the coven due to personal tragedy, and Caius grew obsessed with solely the punitive side of governing. Aro handled every other aspect of the Volturi life.

Aro was the last of the coven to form a romantic attachment. After Marcus and Didyme fell in love, Aro felt that the balance of power had swung away from him (before this, he would have counted his sister as an infallible ally; now he assumed she would side with Marcus in any difference of opinion in the coven). Aro decided in advance that he would rather choose a human and create a mate than look for his match in another vampire, who might have ties to her own creator or other relationships that would complicate his plans. He had a certain type of woman in mind, and he found what he was looking for in Sulpicia: a lovely young orphan with few ties to her human community. He courted her successfully, and she agreed to be transformed into a vampire and join Aro as his wife. She remains totally devoted and loyal to Aro.

Aro had chosen to transform his sister because he hoped she might have a gift similar to his own powerful mind-reading gift. He was disappointed in this, and later disposed of her when she got in the way of his plans by distracting Marcus – her mate – from Aro's goals. One unintended consequence of this action was the near total debilitation of Marcus by the loss of his mate. Aro and Caius were both disturbed to realize that they were vulnerable to a similar devastation; they immediately sought safeguards for their own wives. Over time, as Aro and Caius increased security in every way they could devise, Sulpicia and Athenodora became virtual prisoners in their home. Part of their confinement, however, included a vampire talented at making them feel content. With Corin as part of their personal guard, Sulpicia and Athenodora never objected to their incarceration.

Despite his failure with Didyme, Aro never stopped seeking out talented vampires who could add to his power. He created the Volturi guard out of gifted vampires who shared his desire for authority. The guard were never fully part of the coven or ruling body, but they gained prestige and protection by joining them in a subordinate position. After Aro acquired Chelsea (then Charmion) – who had the ability to bind people to one another and break any bonds that already existed – he was able to influence vampires to join the guard who would not otherwise have been motivated by power or prestige.

Aro made one of his best discoveries around 800 A.D.: the young twins Jane and Alec. Having already created a prohibition against immortal children, Aro left the talented humans to grow up in their native village, planning to transform them when they reached adulthood. Unfortunately, Jane's and Alec's psychic gifts were very pronounced for mere humans, and drew the notice of the other humans around them. Though still children, Jane and Alec were condemned as witches and burned at the stake. Aro arrived immediately upon hearing the news and found them still alive, but barely. He freed them and set the transformation date in motion at once. Then, having revealed his true nature in a rather dramatic way, he was compelled to destroy the entire village in order to obey his own law. He left no witnesses, and brought home his two most valuable assets.

Just because a human or a vampire has a special talent doesn't guarantee that Aro will add him or her to the coven. Aro seeks out talents that will make him more powerful, especially on the battlefield. Fr example, in Aro's mind, Alice Cullen's ability to see into the future – a skill he's never had access to – is far more useful that Jasper Hale's ability to manipulate emotions, as he already has Chelsea and Corin, whose gifts are similar to Jasper's, but more suited to Aro's purposes. Aro is deliberate and patient by nature. When he locates a desirable new talent, such as Alice's, he plans carefully the best way to acquire it. He doesn't make a move if he believes that doing so might destroy that talent. Instead, he bides his time and explores other avenues toward his goal. For example, he might convert human psychics in the hope of duplicating the talent. If a vampire's talent is no longer needed – if Aro finds a vampire with a superior version of the same talent or, as in the case of Didyme, one vampire's presence interferes with another vampire's needed talent – Aro will restructure the guard. Sometimes, as with Didyme, he will do so by execution. However, Aro will allow an amicable separation when he sees no possible threat from releasing the talent, or if he thinks he might need access to that gift in the future but has no way to hold on to it now. This was the case with Eleazar.

Occasionally, vampires approach the Volturi directly to seek a position in the coven. Usually, Aro already has a better version of the gift or skill being offered, but if not, the applicant is gladly accepted. Vampires who are not satisfactory are allowed to leave in peace. Other vampires visit the Volturi simply out of curiosity. Aro encourages such pilgrimages, as it gives him a chance to read their minds. More than just a tactical advantage or a chance to locate other talented vampires, these readings provide Aro with much-needed entertainment throughout the millennia. Aro is endlessly interested in any kind of curiosity.

When Carlisle Cullen arrived in Volterra in the early 1700s, Aro was impressed and intrigued by Carlisle's "vegetarian" philosophy. Aro tried to convince Carlisle that drinking human blood was natural. He continually teased, prodded, and tested Carlisle (for example, by having a member of the guard deliver a profusely bleeding human body to the library where Carlisle was studying, just to see what Carlisle would do).

Aro was torn between wanting Carlisle to stay strong – the limits of Carlisle's resolve fascinated him – and wanting him to surrender to his true nature. After about two decades, Carlisle left the Volturi coven on good terms to travel to America. Before her left, his visit with the Volturi was captured in a painting by Francesco Solimena, an Italian painter who favored the Baroque style. Aro intended to drop in on Carlisle later in his life, in four or five hundred years, to see how things had turned out for him.

**Famous Quotes:**

-_"I love a happy ending. They are so rare."_ New Moon, Chapter 21

-_"But still – _la tua cantante_! What a waste!" _New Moon, Chapter 21

-_"I certainly never thought to see Carlisle bested for self-control of all things, but you put him to shame." _New Moon, Chapter 21

-_"Besides, I'm so terribly curious to see how Bella turns out!" _New Moon, Chapter 21

-_"I doubt whether any two among gods or mortals have ever seen quite so clearly." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 36

-_"Oh well, we're all together now! Isn't it lovely?" _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 37.

Caius

**Name:** Caius

**Date of Birth:** Sometime before 1300 B.C.

**Date of Transformation:** Unknown

**Source of Transformation:** Unknown

**Place of Origin:** Greece

**Hair Color:** White

**Eye Color:** Red/black, with an overlying milky film (vampire)

**Height:** 5'9"

**Physical Description:** Caius has an average build and is extremely graceful; he almost appears to be floating when he moves. He has shoulder-length snow-white hair. His white skin is translucent and looks insubstantial.

**Special Abilities:** He does not possess a quantifiable supernatural ability.

**Education/Occupation:** He is one of the three leaders of the Volturi coven, along with Aro and Marcus.

**Family/Coven Relationships:** Caius's mate is Athenodora. His closest coven members are Aro, Marcus, and Sulpicia. He and the other original Volturi are served by members of the Volturi guard.

**Personal History**:

Caius was born at least a century before Aro, and was transformed into a vampire when he was in his late forties. Before he met Aro, he'd run afoul of the Romanian coven. Caius escaped with his life but developed a great hatred for the powerful Romanians. He met a female vampire named Athenodora and they began to travel together as a bonded pair. Caius met Aro for the first time when Aro was only a few years into his vampire life. Young though he was, Aro was always formulating his plan to dominate the vampire world. He had formed a coven with another talented vampire, Marcus. Caius was immediately attracted to the idea of joining forces with the gifted vampires. He didn't like feeling weak, knowing that the Romanians – or anyone stronger than him – would be able to destroy him at will. He wanted to be powerful and strong as much as Aro did. Though Caius had no psychic gift, Aro was drawn to Caius's ambition and passionate capacity to hate; he saw a great potential for manipulation in what could be both a weakness and a strength.

Caius and Athenodora doubled Aro's numbers, and then they were quickly joined by Aro's sister, Didyme, and later Aro's romantic interest, Sulpicia. Aro and Caius worried about diluting their power further, and from then on brought vampires into the coven as subordinates only.

Aro and Caius were in agreement again after Didyme's death devastated Marcus: The wives must be protected at all costs. Thanks to the unchanging nature of the vampire, Caius is still as devoted to Athenodora as he was when thy first fell in love. He is able to reconcile this love with her prisonlike circumstances by telling himself that it is the only way to protect her.

Caius was not as patient as Aro, but was willing to follow Aro's long-term plan because he could see that doing so gave him a better chance of getting what he wanted than seeking it head-on would. He supported Aro's cause, enforced vampire discretion, because it brought him to his ultimate goal: war against the Romanian coven.

After the Romanians were mostly destroyed, Caius was satisfied to spend his time punishing offenders of Aro's law, while leaving the rest of the decision-making to Aro. Caius wouldn't have been quite as satisfied without Chelsea's influence, but Aro made sure that she kept him tightly bound to the coven.

After the Romanians were all but extinct, Caius kept himself occupied with other crusades. One was his campaign to wipe out the werewolf population. Similar to his response to the Romanians, Caius had once felt vulnerable and powerless during an attack by a werewolf. His characteristic reaction was to attempt to destroy the entire species that had made him feel helpless. (The werewolves he hunted to near extinction are also known as the Children of the Moon. They are not related to the Quileute wolves.)

Another crusade was the offensive against the immortal children. Caius led most of the hunting parties and always participated in the destruction of offenders. He also oversaw the cleanup after the Southern Wars, making sure the newborn armies and their creators were utterly annihilated. Caius is always at the head of any Volturi punishing expedition, leaving Aro free for more important projects.

**Famous Quotes:**

-_"And will visit you as well. To be sure that you follow through on your side. Were I you, I would not delay too long. We do not offer second chances." _New Moon, Chapter 21

-_"_Now_ she has taken full responsibility for her actions." _Breaking Dawn, Chapter 37

Marcus

**Name:** Marcus

**Date of Birth:** Around 1350 B.C.

**Date of Transformation:** Unknown

**Source of Transformation:** Unknown

**Place of Origin:** Greece

**Hair Color:** Black

**Eye Color:** Red/black, with an overlying milky film (vampire)

**Height:** 6'0"

**Physical Description:** Marcus has an average build and, like Aro and Caius, is incredibly graceful in his movements. His black hair is shoulder length, and his white skin is translucent, with a papery texture.

**Special Abilities:** He can see the relationships or connections people have to one another. For example, in a group situation he can easily pick out the leader, or sense the strength of the bond between mates or friends. He can also see where those bonds are weak.

**Education/Occupation:** He is one of the three leaders of the Volturi coven, along with Aro and Caius.

**Family/Coven Relationships:** His mate, Didyme, died long ago. His closest coven members are Aro, Caius, Sulpicia, and Athenodora. He and the other original Volturi are served by members of the Volturi guard.

**Personal History: **

Marcus is physically the youngest of the Volturi. He was transformed into a vampire before he was twenty. Aro found Marcus soon after his own transformation. Marcus was a solitary nomad at the time, but he quickly grew fond of enthusiastic young Aro. Aro was the first friend Marcus had as a vampire. When Aro wanted to form a coven with Caius and Athenodora, Marcus was hesitant. He didn't trust the very intense and bitter newcomer, but Aro talked him into the partnership. With his gift, Marcus could see the growing ties between Aro and Caius, but he never truly understood what Aro saw in Caius.

Marcus's life changed dramatically when Aro brought him his newly turned younger sister, Didyme, along with the first members of the guard – vampires who were drawn to Didyme's aura of happiness. None of these early subordinates lasted more than a few centuries; they were still experimental at that point. Didyme's gift had always been with her, though subtler during her human years, and so she was used to many suitors. She did not take these suitors seriously; her true allegiance was to her brother. After her wild newborn years were over, however, she came to admire Marcus greatly. They fell in love ith the strongest romantic bond of any of the Volturi, as Marcus was in a position to know.

They were so happy together that soon Aro's ambition to dominate the vampire world became increasingly less important to them. After a few centuries, Marcus and Didyme discussed leaving the Volturi to live on their own. Aro, having read both their thoughts, knew these plans. He wasn't pleased, but he pretended to give his blessing.

Marcus's power was much more valuable to Aro than was Didyme's. On the battlefield, Marcus could easily determine the leader and key members of the opposition by the bonds between them and the other fighters. He could tell which person would die for another, which would turn traitor given incentive. In a diplomatic situation, Marcus could see how foreign vampires felt about the Volturi if they would not allow contact with Aro. Within the coven, Marcus could see if someone's loyalty was wavering, or if someone's feelings for another had become stronger than their bond to the coven. He was also quite dangerous in a fight – a skill Didyme did not share.

Aro waited for an opportunity, and when he knew he would not be caught, he murdered his sister, despite the fact that he truly loved her. Aro's grief was genuine, and Marcus never fond out the he was responsible. Aro seemed to do everything in his power to discover the culprit, but of course all of his efforts, combined with those of Marcus and Caius, came to nothing. Once he'd given up on hope of vengeance, Marcus became incapacitated by grief. He lost interest in the coven and began to consider suicide. Aro had sacrificed his beloved sister in order to keep Marcus's valuable gift in his coven, and he was aghast at the possibility of losing Marcus after all. Aro discovered Chelsea and used her gift to keep Marcus tied to the fortunes of the Volturi; he was unable to abandon the coven, even through suicide. Chelsea's gift kept Marcus loyal to Aro, but it was not enough to make him show any enthusiasm for the Volturi. Aro tried to make Marcus more amenable through Corin's gift, but Marcus refused to accept her comfort. He did not want to forget his pain. Corin's gift proved more useful with the wives.

Other Members of the Volturi Coven

**Athenodora:** Caius's mate

**Didyme:** The deceased mate of Marcus, and sister of Aro

**Sulpicia:** Aro's mate

**THE VOLTURI GUARD**

Alec

**Name:** Alec

**Date of Birth:** Prior to 800 A.D.

**Date of Transformation:** Exact date unknown; around the age of 12 or 13

**Source of Transformation:** Aro

**Place of Origin:** England

**Hair Color:** Light Brown

**Eye Color:** Red/black (vampire)

**Height:** 5'0"

**Physical Description:** Alec is taller than his twin sister, Jane, but not by much. He is boyish in appearance and resembles Jane, although his lips are not as full.

**Special Abilities:** Alec cuts off all physical senses – sight, touch, hearing, etc. – from anyone, human or vampire. He is also able to extend his power over a large group of humans or vampires at the same time. His gift manifests as a mist, nearly invisible, that moves slowly away from himself toward his object, blanketing all the space in between. He is able to project this mist several hundred meters. He can also control who his mist affects, allowing the other Volturi soldiers to kill his senseless victims easily.

**Education/Occupation:** He is a member of the Volturi guard.

**Family/Coven Relationships:** Alec's twin sister, Jane, is also a member of the Volturi guard. Guard members show the Volturi the loyalty they would family.

**Personal History:**

Alec was born in England around 800 A.D., son of an Anglo-Saxon woman and a Frankish soldier. He was born a few minutes after his fraternal twin sister, Jane. Both Alec and Jane had strong psychic abilities that were evident even in their human state. Aro was made aware of Alec and his sister through the thoughts of a visiting nomad. Aro visited the twins but decided they were too young to transform immediately (the Volturi had already instate its rules about immortal children). Aro left them in the care of their parents, planning to return in a few years. Though the twins' gifts were obvious to anyone paying attention, Aro observed no menace toward them. They were only toddlers at the time, however, and Aro did not foresee how public opinion toward them would change as they grew. If he'd had any suspicion of the villagers' eventual reaction to them, he would have taken them back to Volterra and raised them himself.

Alec and Jane grew older. As they got bigger, the villagers found their unsettling natures more and more disturbing. Their talents had not taken a focused shape at that point, but bad things tended to happen to people who were unkind to the twins or their family, and good luck followed those who were friendly to them. Eventually, the superstitious locals found the twins too frightening to endure. They were accused as witches and condemned to be burned at the stake. Aro was apprised of the situation by a nomad who knew of Aro's interest in the twins. Aro hurried to the village, arriving just in time to interrupt the execution.

The horrible pain of burning affected both of the twins deeply, and shaped the way their psychic gifts manifested themselves after the transformation. As Alec burned, his entire focus was on escaping the pain. As a vampire, this focus translated into an ability to totally anesthetize any human or vampire. Because he could project this sensory deprivation over many targets at the same time, he became the single most valuable weapon in Aro's arsenal.

**Famous Quote:**

-_"They send you out for one and you come back with two…and a half." _New Moon, Chapter 21

Chelsea

**Name:** Chelsea, born Charmion

**Date of Birth:** Before 1100 B.C.

**Date of Transformation:** Around 1100 B.C.

**Source of Transformation:** Aro

**Place of Origin:** Greece

**Hair Color:** Light Brown

**Eye Color:** Red/black (vampire)

**Height:** 5'3"

**Physical Description:** Chelsea is short, with an hour-glass figure.

**Special Abilities:** Chelsea can influence the emotional ties that people feel toward one another by either strengthening their bonds or breaking them apart.

**Education/Occupation:** She is a member of the Volturi guard.

**Family/Coven Relationships:** Her mate is Afton, another member of the Volturi guard. Guard members show the Volturi the loyalty they would family.

**Personal History:**

Chelsea was born not long after the original Volturi members. She was originally named Charmion, but as she frequently interacts with humans and vampires outside the city of Volterra, she has changed her name a few times over the millennia in order to keep to from attracting attention. She chose the name Chelsea in the 1950s and will use it until it becomes uncommon.

Aro discovered Chelsea in the midst of a very difficult time for the Volturi. He had recently murdered his sister, Didyme, in order to hold onto his talented partner, Marcus. Unfortunately, after Marcus had exhausted his search for Didyme's killer, he became suicidal. Aro did what he could to keep Marcus from finding a way to end his life, but he could tell he was losing the battle. When he discovered Chelsea, he was quick to utilize her abilities. He had her bind Marcus tightly to Aro so that he couldn't disobey Aro's wishes. Later Aro added Corin, hoping to help Marcus become more interested in the goals of the Volturi, but that was less effective; Marcus refused to let Corin's gift erase his pain.

Chelsea became the linchpin in Aro's organization. Her ability to both make and break emotional ties is the power that keeps the guard unified and the coven functional. She is also able to dissolve the loyalties between coven members, with the exception of a romantically bonded pair; those ties are stronger than her power. The attachments she creates are nearly as strong as a romantic union. It was her ability that kept the powerful twins, Jane and Alec, from ever questioning their subordinate position to Aro and the rest of the coven, and that allowed Aro to recruit many gifted vampires – like Demetri and Heidi – who initially had no interest in the prestige of belonging to the Volturi. Her gift is long lasting; it does not fade immediately when she is not present. It does wear off over a matter of time – decades or centuries – depending on how long a person has been exposed to it before separating from her.

Because of her vital role, Chelsea is the vampire Aro is most dependant on and most vulnerable to. Knowing this, Aro has a special relationship with Chelsea that is unlike any other among the guard. Chelsea wears the pure black robe of the coven leaders, and she always gets what she wants. For example, her mate, Afton, though not exceptionally skilled, holds a prestigious place with the guard. Chelsea enjoys all the perks of living with the Volturi, plus perfect job security – unless Aro finds someone with a better version of her talent.

Aro is nothing if not cautious, however, and he doesn't leave himself vulnerable for long. Aro made sure that Chelsea was often exposed to Corin's gift throughout the centuries; Chelsea is not aware of the true strength of Corin's addictive talent, but she would have a very difficult time leaving the Volturi.

Demetri

**Name:** Demetri

**Date of Birth:** Around 1000 A.D.

**Date of Transformation:** Around 1000 A.D.

**Source of Transformation:** Amun

**Place of Origin:** Greece

**Hair Color:** Black

**Eye Color:** Red/black (vampire)

**Height:** 6'3"

**Physical Description:** Demetri is tall and lean. His pale skin has a faint olive tone. His wavy, dark hair is shoulder length.

**Special Abilities:** He is a skilled tracker. He catches the essence of a person's mind and then follows it like a scent over ant distance.

**Education/Occupation:** He is a member of the Volturi guard.

Family/Coven Relationships: Guard members show the Volturi the loyalty they would family.

**Personal History:**

Demetri was originally discovered by the Egyptian coven's leader, Amun. Amun worked with Demetri to develop his tracking ability, and the two were very close. At the time, the Volturi had a tracker. However, when Aro heard that Amun had a more talented tracker than his own, he hurried to Egypt and offered Demetri a place with the Volturi. Demetri had no interest in leaving Amun, but Aro had Chelsea dissolve the bonds between the members of that coven, and then tie Demetri to the Volturi. Demetri joined them immediately.

Demetri is a permanent member of the guard and a part of all of the Volturi's important missions. Though tracking gifts are more common than any other kind of psychic gift, Demetri is by far the best-known tracker in the vampire world. With the rare exception of strong mental shields, Demetri's gift is unstoppable and allows the Volturi to find anyone, anywhere. Demetri can link to a target once he has physically met that person, or he can pick up a person's trail from anyone who has met them in the past.

**Famous Quote:**

-_"Nice fishing." _New Moon, Chapter 21

Felix

**Name:** Felix

**Date of Birth:** Unknown

**Date of Transformation:** Unknown

**Source of Transformation:** Aro

**Place of Origin:** Unknown

**Hair Color:** Black

**Eye Color:** Red/black (vampire)

**Height:** 6'7"

**Physical Description:** Felix is very tall and muscular. His pale skin has a slight olive cast. He has short cropped black hair.

**Special Abilities:** He does not possess a quantifiable supernatural ability.

**Education/Occupation:** He is a member of the Volturi guard.

**Family/Coven Relationships:** Guard members show the Volturi the loyalty they would family.

**Personal History:**

Felix is one of the few members of the Volturi guard with no psychic talent. Instead, he is physically the strongest vampire that the Volturi have encountered. Felix wears the lighter gray cloak of a lesser member of the guard, but he does have a permanent position with them. Felix is a part of most of the Volturi's punitive missions. When there are larger threats, he is accompanied by other physically dominant members of the guard, like Santiago, or any of a number of other transitory guard members.

Heidi

**Name:** Heidi

**Date of Birth:** Before 1550

**Date of Transformation:** Before 1550

**Source of Transformation:** Hilda

**Place of Origin:** Germany

**Hair Color:** Mahogany

**Eye Color:** Red/black (vampire), although she often wears blue contacts that make her red eyes appear violet.

**Height:** 5'10"

**Physical Description:** Heidi is tall and strikingly beautiful.

**Special Abilities:** She is overwhelmingly physically appealing to men and women, humans and vampires. Resisting her allure is possible but also very difficult, especially if she is trying to attract.

**Education/Occupation:** She is a member of the Volturi guard.

**Family/Coven Relationships:** Guard members show the Volturi the loyalty they would family.

**Personal History:**

Heidi was originally changed by a vampire named Hilda, and belonged to her coven for several years. Hilda was later accused of attracting too much notice with her large coven. All but two of the vampires were destroyed: Heidi was considered penitent and so was spared, and the other – Victoria – was able to escape. Thanks to Chelsea, Heidi is totally loyal to the Volturi.

Heidi became a key member in the day-to-day existence of the Volturi. Her primary duty is orchestrating elaborate ploys to bring human victims to Volterra for the sustenance of the coven. She is required to bring them from far away, without leaving a trail. Heidi might arrange for a contest where the prize is an all-expenses-paid vacation to Turkey (or another random location), or a job interview for a position with an amazing salary. The victims never heard the word _Volterra_, and usually are unaware that they are even being taken to Italy. She has more than one jet and other vehicles and props to use in her efforts to attract humans to the Volturi's private city. Once an intended victim meets Heidi, it is difficult for him or her to refuse any invitation she extends.

Jane

**Name:** Jane

**Date of Birth:** Prior to 800 A.D.

**Date of Transformation:** Exact date unknown; around the age of 12 or 13

**Source of Transformation:** Aro

**Place of Origin:** England

**Hair Color:** Pale Brown

**Eye Color:** Red/black (vampire)

**Height:** 4'8"

**Physical Description:** If not for her girlish face and full lips, Jane could be mistaken for a preteen boy. She is quite short, and her childlike voice is high and thin. She usually speaks with an air of apathy or boredom. Despite all this, she has a commanding presence.

**Special Abilities:** She can cause people to experience excruciating pain that instantly incapacitates them. She can inflict this pain on only one target at a time; she must be able to see her victim to use her gift on him or her.

**Education/Occupation:** She is a member of the Volturi guard.

**Family/Coven Relationships:** Her twin brother, Alec, is also a member of the Volturi guard. Guard members she the Volturi the loyalty they would family.

**Personal History:**

Jane was chosen by Aro while she was still a human child. Aro's plan to let Jane and her brother mature with their human family backfired when superstitious locals condemned them as witches and sentenced them to death by fire. Aro arrived barely in time to save Jane and Alec from their accusers. While Alec focused his psychic powers on escaping his own pain, Jane was consumed with the desire to inflict her pain on those who were hurting her. This desire shaped her vampire talent into a very effective weapon.

While Alec – with his ability to use his gift on a great number of targets concurrently – is more advantageous in open battle, Jane's talent is more often used. As evidenced during Edward, Alice, and Bella's visit to Volterra, Jane's talent is frequently utilized to control potentially aggressive vampires. Just having her on hand usually guarantees Aro a polite and compliant audience.

In the field Jane inspires a great deal of fear, which is helpful to the Volturi attack strategy, as well as to their reputation. Also, Caius enjoys using her talent to punish vampires before they are executed. Over the centuries, Jane has absorbed some of Caius's sadistic enjoyment in the process.

**Famous Quotes:**

-_"We're not used to be rendered unnecessary. It's too bad we missed the fight. It sounds like it would have been entertaining to watch." _Eclipse, Chapter 25

-_"Caius will be _so_ interested to hear that you're still human, Bella. Perhaps he'll decide to visit." _Eclipse, Chapter 25

Renata

**Name:** Renata

**Date of Birth:** 1240s

**Date of Transformation:** 1260s

**Source of Transformation:** Luca

**Place of Origin:** Malta

**Hair Color:** Black

**Eye Color:** Red/black (vampire)

**Height:** 5'0"

**Physical Description:** Renata is slight in build.

**Special Abilities:** She can shield herself and others, repelling physical attacks and confusing the attacker and making him for get his purpose.

**Education/Occupation:** She is a member of the Volturi guard and Aro's personal bodyguard.

**Family/Coven Relationships:** Guard members show the Volturi the loyalty they would family.

**Personal History:**

Renata was born into an unusual, vampire-friendly family that has produced several vampires over the centuries, including many years after Renata, a nomad named Makenna. Renata was changed by her great-uncle Luca (with a few dozen _greats_ added) on her twentieth birthday. She originally intended to help her uncle protect and perpetuate their family line, but Renata was very talented. She quickly caught the attention of the Volturi and was invited to join. Luca, wanting no trouble with the Volturi – the way he interacted with his human relatives was already a gray area – encouraged her to go.

Thanks to Chelsea, Renata became exceptionally loyal to the Volturi, particularly Aro. On Aro's instructions, Chelsea attached Renata to Aro alone, rather than to all the leading Volturi together. Renata is so tightly bound to Aro that she would rather die than see him harmed. When Aro leaves Volterra, she is always at his side. She is able to repel attackers from herself and anyone in close physical proximity to her. Her gift causes assailants to become confused as they approach her. They find themselves moving in a new direction, with a blurred memory as to what they were trying to accomplish. She is able to push her shield several meters out from herself. She will also shield Caius and Marcus if they were nearby, but her primary concern is to protect Aro.

Other Members of the Volturi Guard

**Afton: **Chelsea's mate

Afton has a minor shielding skill, but it is limited by the fact that he cannot project it outside of himself. He has the ability to make himself invisible to attackers, but someone with a strong focus can see through the illusion. A person standing, directly behind him can be hidden, too, but this is not a very reliable safeguard. Afton is not gifted enough to earn a place with the Volturi on his own merits; he owes his inclusion to his much more talented mate, Chelsea.

**Corin: **A guard

Officially, Corin's primary job in the Volturi is to protect the surviving wives, Sulpicia and Athenodora. In reality, she does not protect them so much as soothe them into complacency while other, more physically impressive vampires do the actual job of guarding the wives. The wives are so closely protected that they have become virtual prisoners in Volterra. However, Corin's gift keeps them satisfied with life – even happy.

Corin is able to make anyone feel content in his or her circumstances. There is a druglike side effect to her skill, however. A person can become addicted to the feeling she produces, and be unable to feel well without it. Aro has been careful not to expose himself too greatly to Corin, while using Chelsea to keep her tied to the coven. Marcus has always refused to let her relieve his never-easing pain over Didyme's death. Caius, on the other hand, frequently uses Corin's gift to alleviate his boredom between battles and punishing expeditions.

**Santiago: **A guard

Like Felix, Santiago is a physical enforcer. He has no psychic gift, only tremendous physical strength.

Others Who Serve the Volturi

**Name:** Gianna

**Date of Birth:** Late 1970s

**Place of Origin:** Italy

**Hair Color:** Black

**Eye Color:** Green

**Height:** 5'6"

**Physical Description:** Gianna was tall, with long, dark hair and olive-toned skin. She was beautiful, for a human.

**Education/Occupation:** Gianna served as the receptionist and assistant to the Volturi coven.

**Family/Coven Relationships:** As a human, Gianna was not considered a member of the Volturi, although she was loyal to them.

**Personal History:**

Gianna knew the Volturi's secret and kept it, serving them in the hope of one day being turned into a vampire. She knew that if she was not found helpful enough, she would be killed, but she chose to take the risk. Unfortunately, the Volturi decided her skills were less valuable than her blood.

**THE VOLTURI LAIR**

The Volturi maintain a permanent home in Volterra, Italy, which most of the actual coven – Caius being the exception – rarely leaves. The Volturi founded the town of Volterra three thousand years ago, during the time of the Etruscans. The Volturi still own almost all of the property in the vicinity.

The main structure of the Volturi's actual home is a castle constructed during medieval times, built into the walls of the ancient city. The most noticeable feature of the castle is the large turret that rises above the rest of the structure. Most of the living space is located below ground, in tunnels that run three stories beneath the town.

There are several entrances to the Volturi's castle. The front door is located at street level. It opens to a receptionist area, where there is always a very polite human to receive visitors, as well as several inconspicuous surveillance cameras. All the doors in the room lead to dead-end, innocuous offices, and the elevator is heavily secured. This door is never used by the Volturi, their guard, or anyone who has real business with them. The elevator leads to another reception area, with even higher security.

The castle can also be accessed from Volterra's sewers. Several drainage holes in the stone-paved streets lead to often-used Volturi passageways. These drains are covered by iron grilles that are too heavy to be lifted by several human men together. These passages also lead to the second reception area, where the human in charge is aware of the nature of her bosses.

The most often used door is not actually located within the city. Rather, this door is located in the cellar of an ancient church outside the walls, somewhat hidden in the hills. Heidi's tours always end in this quaint, concealed historical landmark located beside a small private landing strip (owned by the Volturi). Just in case someone were to recognize the Tuscan landscape, there is no cell-phone service available. Thanks to Heidi's gift, when she asks her tourists to follow her into the beautiful, ancient tunnel that leads to an amazing castle, none of them refuse. This tunnel bypasses both reception areas and leads directly to the Volturi turret.

The turret contains the main meeting room of the Volturi, and also the dining room. They have made no attempt to make it comfortable for humans; the stone walls are not insulated, and there is no heat or cooling or artificial lighting. The room is lit by the arrow slits high above. The lone furnishings are three massive throne-like chairs that belong to Aro, Caius, and Marcus. They use these thrones when they are acting as magistrates, hearing cases against vampires who have infringed on the law. In the center of the room is a slight depression that contains a drainage grate. The Volturi dispose of the bodies of their victims through this hole, which sits above a very deep cavern. Routinely, these remains are reduced en masse by acid.

Chapter Quotes:

Page 151: "There aren't very many bad guys in my novels. Even the bad guys usually have a pretty good reason for the way they are, and some of them come around in the end. I don't see the world as full of negatives." –Stephenie

Page 153: "As I stared at the ancient sienna walls and towers crowning the peak of the steep hill, I felt another, more selfish kind of dread thrill through me." –Bella, on her arrival in the city of Volterra (_New Moon_, Chapter 19)

Page 157: "The gift was presented in an ornately carved, ancient wooden box inlaid with gold and mother-of-pearl, ornamented with a rainbow of gemstones." –Bella, on Aro's gift (_Breaking Dawn_, Chapter 27)

Page 158: "The necklace was simple – gold woven into a thick rope of a chain, almost scaled, like a smooth snake that would curl close around the throat. One jewel hung suspended from the rope: a white diamond the size of a golf ball." –Bella, on Aro's gift (_Breaking Dawn_, Chapter 27)

Page 183: "Edward will be under the clock tower, to the north of the square." –Alec, to Bella (_New Moon_, Chapter 20)


	8. Covens (The Amazon Coven)

**Author's Note: All characters, plotlines, and everything in between are created and owned by Stephenie Meyer. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement intended.**

**Chapter 6: Covens (The Amazon Coven)**

The Amazon coven consists of three sisters, Kachiri, Zafrina, and Senna, all natives of the Pantanal wetlands. The sisters never interact with humans except when hunting; they do not associate with them or make any pretense of behaving in a human way. They are feral in appearance and rarely leave the unpopulated wetlands except to hunt. Few vampires – including the Volturi – have ever heard of this coven.

Kachiri

**Name:** Kachiri

**Date of Birth:** Unknown

**Date of Transformation:** Unknown

**Source of Transformation:** Unknown

**Place of Origin:** South America

**Hair Color:** Black

**Eye Color:** Red/black (vampire)

**Height:** 6'4"

**Physical Description:** Kachiri is very tall, with thick black hair. Her features and limbs all appear unnaturally long.

**Special Abilities:** She does not possess a quantifiable supernatural ability.

**Family/Coven Relationships:** She is part of a coven with her sisters, Senna and Zafrina.

**Personal History:**

Kachiri belonged to an ancient native tribe located on the fringe of the Pantanal. After she was changed, she went back for her two closest friends. They've been together ever since, rarely leaving the wetlands, hunting in the habitations along the fringes. Their self-sufficient way of life has kept them a secret from most other vampires. Carlisle and his family discovered them in the 1940s while on a hunting trip; the Cullens' interest in large animal game brought them to an area other vampires dismissed for its lack of human prey. The Amazons were quite taken with Carlisle's gentle, friendly manner.

Senna

**Name:** Senna

**Date of Birth:** Unknown

**Date of Transformation:** Unknown

**Source of Transformation:** Kachiri

**Place of Origin:** South America

**Hair Color:** Black

**Eye Color:** Red/black (vampire)

**Height:** 5'11"

**Physical Description:** Senna is the shortest of the Amazons, but still very tall. She has the same long limbs and facial features as Kachiri and Zafrina. She wears her black hair in a braid, and her clothing is homemade from animal skins.

**Special Abilities:** She does not possess a quantifiable supernatural ability.

**Family/Coven Relationships:** She is part of a coven with her sisters, Kachirir and Zafrina.

Zafrina

**Name:** Zafrina

**Date of Birth:** Unknown

**Date of Transformation:** Unknown

**Source of Transformation:** Kachiri

**Place of Origin:** South America

**Hair Color:** Black

**Eye Color:** Red/black (vampire)

**Height:** 6'1"

**Physical Description:** Zafrina shares the same long limbs, fingers, and facial features as Senna and Kachirir. Like Senna, Zafrina wears her long hair in a braid, and her clothing is made out of animal hide.

**Special Abilities:** Zafrina has a strong illusory talent. She can make her target see any illusion she wants, or see nothing at all. Her range includes anyone in her eyesight.

**Family/Coven Relationships:** She is part of a coven with her sisters, Kachiri and Senna.

Chapter Quotes:

1. Page 184: "The reunited amazons had been anxious to return home as well – they had a difficult time being away from their beloved rain forest…" Bella (_Breaking Dawn_, Chapter 39)


	9. Author's Note 3

So sorry that I haven't been around, guys. I had accidently given my computer a virus and that's why I haven't been updating, let alone writing. I can't promise any updates soon, but I _will_ update. I'm just not sure when. Please forgive me, everybody.

-Stephanie

P.S. If you go to my Facebook FanPage, you would have already known why I haven't been updating. (Just sayin')


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